Shaun Romy found a place in Malayali hearts as Anitha of Kammattipaadam. In the film, she beautifully brought out the innocence of the character on screen. Now, after a while, she is back to the big screen with yet another portrayal through the movie Chandragiri. In the movie, she plays the female lead, a physically challenged but strong-willed woman — Daya Rai. “If the character in Kammattipaadam was a simple, uneducated girl, the one in Chandragiri is an educated, smart, tech-savvy girl, who uses her knowledge for a positive change,” says Shaun.
“The movie is based in Kasaragod where Daya lives with her father, who is a Yakshagana artiste,” says Shaun. “Daya became wheelchair bound following a disease that erupted in the area. She lives for her father and other children in her area, who got affected by the same disease that crippled her life. She wants to help them,” adds Shaun. In her opinion, Daya’s strength is that she is not affected by the bitter twists and turns in life. “She is a person who takes struggles in the right spirit.”The actor says the role has been a learning experience for her.
“I had to be careful about the body language while acting. Since I had seen one of my friends who is wheelchair-bound from close quarters, I was able to relate to the character. Performing as Daya allowed me to understand what wheelchair-bound people go through,” says Shaun, who believes the character is quite relevant in this era. “I don’t think youngsters are much interested in politics these days. Even I am not very inclined to it. Many times I have thought why one should protest as nobody listens to it. But now I feel that as a citizen, if one gets the urge to do something, she or he should do it. If everyone remains silent, nothing would happen. As a character, Daya doesn’t want what happened to her to happen to anyone else. The character is relevant as it might motivate someone to fight for something right.”
In her opinion, each character she has played so far taught her something. “I have played good characters and they have imparted me some significant lessons,” she says. “Daya taught me perseverance. She is a strong person. Whereas the character in Kammattipaadam talked to me about sacrifice and accepting life as it is,” she adds. Although Shaun is stylish in real life, she hasn’t been able to portray one such character on the reel. But she believes that some day she would be able to do a role that reflects her.
