It’s a proud period for Sarayu Mohan for two reasons – first as an actor and then as a director. “And as a Maharaja's alumnae,” adds Sarayu, who will be seen in the role of a teacher in Maharaja’s College, Ernakulam, in Saji Palamel’s Njan Petta Makan. The movie, based on the life of Abhimanyu, a student who was stabbed to death in the college, has Minon John playing the lead.
“I act as a teacher in the college who shared a cordial relationship with Abhimanyu”, she says.
“The role is very special to me because I too studied in Maharaja’s and have seen so many Abhimanyus on the campus. To be back on the campus after all these years makes me emotional,” she adds.
Her donning the hat of a director again was for a cover music video — fourth track of Jeenu Nazeer’s cover project Humnasheen, where Jeenu gave a soulful rendition of S. Janaki’s Thaane Thirinjum Marinjum. The video went viral hours after it was uploaded; Sarayu mixing tranquil visuals complementing the mood of the song was much appreciated.
“Jeenu is my friend and when she asked me to do the visuals for the cover, I gave it a try,” says the actor, who made her directorial debut five years ago with the short film Pacha. There had been more attempts over the years — a few videos she made and uploaded on YouTube.
Sarayu reveals that direction caught her fancy after venturing into movies as an actor. Slowly, she started paying attention to technical details and soon, it grew. Her marriage to Sanal, an associate director in Malayalam industry, brought her even more closer to the craft.
Also a writer, Sarayu’s first book of short stories and poems, Njayaray chakale Snehicha Penkutty, was released in 2014. “I still write, but not with the plan to publish. When the contents are fitting, I might consider bringing out another book,” says Sarayu, who has a few exciting projects coming up. She has just completed shooting for Biju Menon-starrer Aanakkallan, which is touted to be a fun entertainer. The movie will see her pairing up with Siddique. Currently shooting for Soothrakkaran starring Gokul Suresh, she has a Tamil project with Cheran coming up.
Expressing that she’d love to be known as a film maker, the actor says she is aware that direction is a challenging job and a great responsibility. “Film making is a step-by-step process and I know I will direct a movie. But I can’t say when, not for now. I am glad that I’ve someone to clear my doubts any time,” she winds up.
