“I am not a flexible actor. I know my limitations.” You don’t expect to hear that from a multiple state award winner. But then that’s Praveena for you, an actor who has played roles of substance on the small screen and the big screen. Even when she went on a break from the mini-screen, she was still working in films.
Now Praveena is back on television. She is currently acting in Kasthooriman, a daily in Asianet. MetroPlus caught up with the actor to know what kept her away from the limelight and what brought her back.
“I had had enough. A mega serial is a huge responsibility, that you have to fulfil even at the cost of compromising on your personal life. Even though my family has been very supportive, I couldn’t devote enough time for them, especially my daughter and I felt bad about it. Moreover, the hours of shooting and the intense roles were taking a toll on me. The strain and exhaustion were getting on my nerves and so eventually I decided to stop doing mega serials in Malayalam,” she says. So what has changed now? “Nothing much (laughs). I tried my best not to do this serial, but the producer was extremely persistent,” she says.
Family saga
The serial is about Sethulakshmi, a mother who single-handedly brings up her three daughters. Her life revolves around them and her dance school, Kalakshetra. She has to tackle many financial difficulties and also safeguard her daughters’ future.
“It is not that the role is different or unique. For a change, I am playing a mother to grown-up girls. And it is for the first time! I agreed to do the role because the producer has been on the lookout for a suitable artiste to essay Sethulakshmi for quite sometime. He was on the verge of shelving the project and that’s when I felt I shouldn’t disappoint him. It is a good team to work with. Our director is a filmmaker and the serial is being shot like a movie, which is a new experience for me,” says Praveena.
Actor by chance
Having been in the industry for nearly two decades now, Praveena, a graduate in music, says she never nursed an ambition to become an actor. That too even after debuting as a child artiste, playing the childhood of Parvathy in the film Gouri . “I wanted to become a doctor or a teacher. While in college, I used to compere events. I have also hosted music shows on Doordarshan and Asianet. That fetched me offers from filmmakers,” she recalls.
She was offered the main role in Kalyanasaugandhikam , but couldn’t do it because the makers felt she was too young to play the character. Her first movie was Kaliyoonjaal while her breakthrough came with Agnisakshi, which fetched her the state award for the second best actress; Vasanthiyum Lakshmiyum Pinne Njaanum was another milestone; Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s Oru Pennum Randaanum gave her another state award, once again for the second best actress.
Dubbing was another field that she excelled in. She won the state award for the best dubbing artiste for Elektra and Ivan Megharoopan . On television, she has been applauded for the choices she made, right from her first mega serial, Swapnam . Her work in Megham, Swaram, Chila Nerangalil Chila Manushyar, Mazhayariyathe, Neermathalathinte Pookkal... are still fresh in viewers’ mind. She has done serials in Tamil as well.
Clear choices
So, was she really choosy about the roles she did? “To a great extent. I wanted to do only good roles. But more than me choosing such characters, the roles chose me. As the saying goes, ‘Luck is what when preparation meets opportunity’. Also, the industry knew very well what kind of roles I would do and nobody approached me with insignificant roles,” she avers.
Meanwhile Praveena admits that she is not quite happy with all the the roles she did in movies. “Except for films such as Agnisakshi, Vasanthiyum ..., Oru Pennum Randaanum and Swarnam , I don’t think I have done something exceptional or memorable in Malayalam cinema. Perhaps I should try comedy one day, situational comedy. I have been doing only intense roles for so long that I am getting bored,” she adds. She will be seen in Venu’s Carbon releasing soon.
Even then she is happy in “her small world”. She has already debuted as a writer, with Kochu Kochu Valiya Karyangal and doesn’t rule out coming up with more works. “Acting is not a passion for me. I enjoy doing it, that’s all. If you ask what makes me extremely happy, it is being a homemaker. No other role can be as challenging as that,” she says.
