Rajisha Vijayan’s character ‘Eli’ in Anuraga Karikkin Vellam was much loved by audience when the movie hit the screens. And now, bagging the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actress for the role has made Rejisha emotional, much like her character. The actress, who is currently shooting with Vineeth Sreenivasan in Oru Cinema Karan, shared her disbelief as she attended her phone for the nth time.
“I’m just back from the shoot; I have not put my phone down all day long though. Trust me, I had zero expectations. Until Monday afternoon, I did not know that Anuraga Karikkin Vellam was considered by the jury. I didn’t even know I was a finalist till 3 pm on Monday. Just being considered as a competitor itself is a huge deal. Even when I was watching the announcement it didn’t occur to me that I might win.
And when the Minister declared my name, my mind went blank. I was in an emotionless state for some time and after that, it was pure bliss. And then it turned out to be really scary because a ‘State Award’ is not something a debut actress wins often. I think this is the third time it is happening. Moreover, all the actresses who have won the State award for best actress won it for their being a part of a very strong subject. So, in a way, I sometimes feel that I am totally undeserving.”
She goes onto say, “I was really hoping for Vinayakan chettan to win. When I came to know that the State awards were to be declared, I was keeping my fingers crossed for him.”
Sharing her apprehensions, Rajisha says, “Malayali audience are not very forgiving with women actors compared to our male counterparts. If the male actors deliver two or three flops, people take it easy and wait for their next release. But for actresses, two or three flops mean that we are written off by the audience. That scares me. Such a huge title it adds on that much responsibility.”
However, she has all praise for the jury. “It’s a very commendable job done by the jury. For the very first time, a woman has won the Best Director award. And Kammatti Paadam had Dulquer as the hero and yet Vinayakan chettan was given the best actor award. This is a huge wave of change in Malayalam cinema,” an excited Rejisha says.
