Ever since her biggest commercial success — Rajahuli followed by Aatagara (where she essayed a special role), she has become one of the most sought-after actresses in regional cinema, juggling Malayalam and Kannada with elan. The gorgeous Meghana Raj, returns this week with her best and most-challenging role ever — portraying ‘Maya Devi’ in Allama from the 12th century magnum opus directed by TS Naghabharana.
Meghana as Maya in her boldest avatar, had months of hard work learning Bharathanatyam, getting into the character’s 12th century special attire, and other challenges that she embraced for Allama. She shares her Allama experience, and how her parents are so elated for the first time, after the remarkable job she has done as Maya.
“I cannot categorise Allama into one specific genre. The movie is beyond boundaries. It is neither an art film nor a parallel one. It is simply an amazing film which connects to the audience in myriad ways. Firstly, it’s a dream come true to work under the direction of Bharana Sir. I was completely unaware about being cast in the film. It seemed routine when my parents asked me to meet Bharana Uncle, and there was nothing filmy about it. I auditioned, did screen tests. I was told to do a costume photo shoot, and when the producer had okayed it, I was told that I will be playing Maya in Allama,” says Meghana Raj.
The actress reveals that until then she had only known about Allama, the mystic-poet from 12th century thanks to her school curriculum. “I knew Allama through his vachanas and when I came on board, I was totally blank but I couldn’t complain, as I was in the safest hand ever — Bharana Uncle. He would never let me portray any role which undermines me. Later, rehearsals followed with a lot of challenges to get under the skin of Maya Devi, a dancer who is so confident, ambitious, arrogant, and one of the most beautiful dancers of that era,” she adds.
After watching the movie which was recently screened at the Goa Panorama Film Festival, Meghana feels that she can never repeat the same character and performance in her lifetime. “I had to unlearn everything as Maya’s character is the essence of Allama. She reflects feminism, an in-depth and powerful role where she feels that she can never lose. Dhananjay, who portrays the central character of Allama and I were given dialogues much earlier, to understand the kind of language and manner of acting. It is an opportunity of a lifetime. Such experiences can never happen, and I am glad I was part of such a great venture,” shares Meghana.
Insofar as her character Maya plays out, Meghana faced several challenges — from looking beautiful and comfortable in heavy costumes. That apart, Meghana, who is a Kathak dancer, had to learn Bharathanatyam. “Being a Kathak dancer, learning Bharathanatyam was a challenge as it was not that subtle, when compared to my natural form of dance. Ironically, getting under the skin of Maya was much easier as I was comfortable with Bharana Uncle, whom I have known since childhood, and being a part of the Benaka Theatre Group along with his work, it was familiar territory,” says the actress.
With a little help from Prathima Nandakumar, who monitored every detail — from the manner in which she walked and talked, it led to a memorable performance, which Meghana says, her parents (Sunder Raj and Pramila Joshai, both prominent Kannada actors) who were always critical about her acting, were left speechless after watching the film. Before she signs off, she reveals that her parents were in tears and wondered how she pulled off such a “bold” character. Watch her perform in Allama, releasing this week.
