Mrudula Murali, who’s quite at ease with mean machines, had a challenging time riding the chakda in Kutch, for her film Ayal Njanalla
Mrudula Murali
She has managed to tame mean machines and make them do her bidding. Mrudula Murali’s love for motorbikes is well known among her friends, but she bit off more than what she could chew when she took on the role of Isha in Ayal Njanalla. Shot in the interiors of Kutch, Mrudula explains, “I love riding bikes, but my character had to ride the local means of transport which is called a chakda. This is a modified bullet which is used to transport people in the interior regions of Gujarat. Since I knew riding, I thought it would be easy but I was wrong! It is difficult to start, ride it or park it given its bulk. Thankfully I could master it in a week’s time and the owner who helped me initially later gave me a free hand.” Mrudula had another reason to be thrilled with the chakda she rode, “The owner claimed that this was the same chakda that Amitabh Bachchan drove for a movie and that I was the only other actor after him riding it. That was a special feeling indeed.”
Mrudula plays the role of Isha, a bold girl. About her role she says, “I play a gullu in the film — a mix of a Gujarati and Malayali! I had to act, but do so subtly. My sequences were small with not too many dialogues so I had to tone down my expressions.”
Shooting in Kutch presented her with a variety of experiences. Mrudula says, “It is a beautiful place, but very remote without much access to facilities. Shootings are unheard of and the locals had trouble understanding that we were there as a part of a film shoot. The locals speak only Kutchi and since even Hindi is difficult for me, making the locals understand anything was very difficult. But I must say that the locals were very sweet and co-operative once they understood our intentions.”
The region is also known for its extreme climate, Mrudula avers, “We shot in the months of December and January when it was very cold, and while most of the cast had sweaters on, I couldn’t wear one. The night shoots had me freezing!” Mrudula cherishes the experiences, especially her interactions with Fahadh Faasil and director Vineeth. She says, “It’s amazing to see Fahadh transform on screen and I have always liked him as an actor and to share screen space with him was great. Fahadh and Vineeth were great guides and very helpful.”
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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