She was the ‘Muthu’ of every Malayali during the 90s. Despite being a Telugu actor, Maathu was a quintessential part of Malayalam cinema for almost a decade and has mostly done movies in Mollywood other than a few Kannada and Tamil films. She has acted the least in Telugu movies. Maathu, the screen name given to her by veteran actor Nedumudi Venu who directed her first Malayalam film Pooram, according to her, became the mascot of her success in the Malayalam film industry. She went on to do prominent roles in Amaram, Sandesham, Savidham and many other super hit movies of that period,
starring alongside superstars Mohanlal, Mammootty, Jayaram and Siddique to name a few.
However, her stint in Malayalam cinema, like other female actors of those times, was very brief. The actor, who decided to take a break after getting married as she felt it was necessary to spend time with her family and kids, is back in Mollywood after a break of 19 years. She was in Kochi
in connection with the promotion of her comeback movie Aniyankunjum Thannalayathu, that will hit the theaters this weekend, directed by National Award-winning filmmaker Rajeevnath. In a candid chat, she reveals her love towards cinema and the massive change that both Kochi and the Malayalam industry have undergone while she was away.
“I am actually surprised to see how this city has grown into a huge metro with lots of buildings, cars and traffic because my pleasant memories about Kerala and Malayalam film industry are that both of them are unique and natural. However, I am glad the industry has changed for good. In fact, the kind of movies that Mollywood is making these days is commendable. So, when I got a call from the director regarding a prominent role in a movie with a good storyline, which would make my comeback to the industry in the most appropriate manner, I couldn’t say ‘no’. Moreover, the major portion of the movie has been shot in the U.S. As I am already settled there, it was not an issue for me to travel for a couple of hours, shoot and then come back. One of the finest features of Malayalam film industry, talent, never grows old,” she adds, saying that Manju Warrier’s comeback movie How Old Are You is one of the movies that motivated her to begin a second innings in movies.
Ask her about Aniyankunjum Thannalayathu, and Mathu gets vocal about how things have changed for her and the language barrier that made her nervous back when she was shooting for Amaram, was not a serious problem this time around. She says, “Though not fluent, I can convey my thoughts in Malayalam and also understand what the person speaking to me is trying to say.
I am glad the long gap has not made my skills fade away and now I am more calm and composed. I think it is also because this time around, I don’t have any kind of pressure and I am doing this because
I genuinely want to and therefore, I am enjoying the process.” She adds that the dedication, hard work and professionalism of the new generation actors surprise her. “The competition that exists in every industry nowadays has compelled
everyone to be on their toes and work hard to prove oneself. When I started my career, acting was only about passion. We used to come to the sets and do whatever the director wanted us to do in terms of enacting a scene. But times have changed. While working in Aniyankunjum… I understood that the approach towards cinema has become much more professional. Actors, technicians and even filmmakers consider it as their profession and are striving hard to prove themselves. However, I think that this change has in turn given a kind of freshness to the movies that we see.”
The actor adds that she was taken aback when her kids told her that they got to know it from their friends that she was a yesteryear actor and she had worked in Malayalam movies. “My kids don’t understand Malayalam. They congratulated me saying, ‘mom, you looked very beautiful as an actor and you even speak a language similar to Spanish. We think you should do it again’,” she giggles.
Ask her why she chose to make a comeback with a Malayalam movie, she says, “Malayalam movies are real and natural. They appeal to audiences of all ages. Movies in other languages are good, but most of them have content specific to the taste of local people. Here in Mollywood, the contents are not exaggerated after a limit. Even Aniyankunjum… is a light-hearted movie. Even though the approach used to convey the story is not intense,the message is conveyed in a pertinent manner. The makers understand that the majority of the audiences these days
are longing for subjects that make them laugh as they already have a lot of stress to handle in their everyday lives.
I think people want relatable subjects and Malayalam filmmakers do it in the best possible way.”
The actor, who agrees that she missed being in Mollywood, adds that if more roles that excite her come her way then Malayalis will get to see more of her in future as well.
