A mosaic of finely etched characters and an intriguing story line, a cast of thespians and a first class technical crew helmed by award-winning cinematographer and director Venu. No actor could ask for more. That is precisely why Aparna Gopinath feels blessed to have got the opportunity to give life to Anjali Arakkal, the heroine in Munnariyippu .
Aparna, a theatre actor who made her way to the big screen via the film ABCD , does not split hairs while talking about theatre and cinema. Both involve acting, she points out. However, what was toughest for her was rolling off lengthy dialogues in Malayalam in Munnariyippu . “There is prompting in theatre but as soon as I met Unni, the scenarist of the film, he told me that there would be no prompting for this film. I would have to memorise and reel off the dialogues myself, that too with a Kottayam accent. Both Unni sir and Venu sir, both of whom incidentally hail from Kottayam, speak so fast that, initially, it was quite a task to get the hang of it,” admits Aparna.
That is where her training in theatre came to her rescue and soon Aparna got into her act of a young struggling journalist on the trail of a story involving a convict C.K. Raghavan, enacted by Mammootty.
The actress requested for the script to be given to her beforehand so that “I could run the dialogues in my mouth,” says the actress who is proficient in Tamil and English. “Although I have roots in Kerala, I have lived in Tamil Nadu all my life and even when I speak Malayalam, that is not the kind of Malayalam Anjali had to say her lines in. Once I read the script, I was able to understand Anjali, her thought process and her way of doing things and how she manages to find herself in certain situations,” she explains.
If Dulquer Salmaan was her hero in ABCD , in this movie, she plays the lead with his father, Mammootty. “I met Mammootty sir as the father of the hero during the shooting of my debut film. However, there was no nervousness during the shooting of Munnariyippu , again thanks to theatre, where you have no time to be awed or nervous about your co-stars. But, then again, Mammootty sir, Venu sir and the entire crew went out of their way to ensure that I was comfortable. There is a child-like enthusiasm and energy in Mammootty sir that is infectious. That energy ignites your performance as well. This is how theatre works and that is how it works for me. Working with such experienced actors and masters of the game make it a learning experience for me,” she says over the phone while rushing for the rehearsal of a play.
Aparna adds that the director was able to help her understand the nuances of the character and the situation probably because Venu has been carrying the story with him for so long. A genre-bender, the film explores the contradictions in personalities and perspectives. If Raghavan’s inner space and idea of freedom clash with that of the ebullient Anjali’s outlook and constraints, the jailor’s sense of right and wrong does not quite match his philanthropic attitude. It is these kind of contradictions that create the suspense and narrative of the film.
Aparna adds that Anjali piqued her curiosity because the role was challenging and took her out of her comfort zone. “I was able to connect with her and the script. That is important for me. That is why I am in Subil ‘Kukku’ Surendran’s film Ente Sathyanweshana Pareekshakal as well. Kukku was able to explain the background and context of what makes my character, a lawyer, find herself in a certain situation that leads to an important turn in the film. But, right, now, I am waiting for Munnariyippu .”
In addition to Nedumudi Venu and Saiju Kurup, Prathap Pothen, Renji Panicker, Joy Mathew and Joshy Mathew also play important characters in the film. It has been produced by director Ranjith under the banner of Gold Coin Motion Picture Company.
In the meantime, the actress is busy with rehearsals of ‘Under The Mangosteen Tree’, an adaption of Vaikom Mohammed Basheer’s tale. The play goes on.
