G eetha Vijayan made had her entry into films through In Harihar Nagar, directed by the Siddique-Lal duo. It became a cult movie, one that marked a milestone in the turbulent journey of the Malayalam film industry. Years down the lane, she continues to be around, acting in films and on television. Irrespective of the fact that success has eluded her many times, she continues to “enjoy the life of an actress”. Currently seen in the comedy ‘Kalyani Kalavani’ on Asianet Plus, Geetha talks about her career and what lays ahead. Excerpts:
‘Kalyani Kalavani’
The love-hate relationship between a mother-in-law and her daughter-in-law is the theme of the serial. I play Kalyani, the mother-in-law who is forever trying to make life hell for her daughter-in-law Veni, played by Shalu Kurian. My son, Abhimanyu (played by Sarath Das), and my ‘husband’ are witnesses to the arguments and fights at home. I am working on television after a long gap. That was a conscious decision because once you start becoming active on television, offers from films start drying up. I ensure that I do one serial at a time so that I can work in movies as well. Serials involve hard work because you have to shoot many episodes at a stretch, whereas working in films is a bit more relaxing.
Handling comedy
I accepted the role in ‘Kalyani Kalavani’ because it is a comedy. I don’t like doing run-of-the-mill tearjerkers with hapless protagonists, scheming villains and long-winding plots. Though I have done comedies on the big and small screens, I have rarely got the chance to handle comedy throughout a project. I really enjoyed working in serials like ‘In Jawahar Colony’ (Amrita TV) and ‘Ettu Sundarikalum Njaanum’ (Surya TV). In the latter, I was pitted against seasoned artistes such as Maniyanpillai Raju, Ponnamma Babu, Kulappully Leela, Thesni Khan and Meena Ganesh. The appreciation I received for the role was much more than an award for me. Now I am having a lovely time shooting for ‘Kalyani Kalavani’; we are a small team and that makes it all the more enjoyable.
The road to fame
I had no plans of becoming an actress. When I was studying, I stayed in a hostel where we were never allowed to watch movies. However, thanks to my roommate, singer Sujatha’s relative, I was able to go for film previews. Actress-director Revathy is my cousin and it was she who suggested my name to Siddique and Lal for the role In Harihar Nagar . I am so proud that I was part of an evergreen movie. Even when I am not there, people will remember Maya [her role in the movie]. The film was like an entrance examination for me. I was a raw artiste and each movie that I did after that was a learning experience for me. It is true that there were many movies which didn’t do well or weren’t released. But, looking back, I feel that it was all for the good and I don’t have any regrets.
New projects
Utharachemmeen , directed by Benny Asamsa, is a project I am looking forward to. It deals with what happened in the lives of characters in Chemmeen after the death of Karuthamma, Pareekutty and Pazhani. I play Panchami, sister of Karuthamma, who takes care of Karuthamma’s son. It is a powerful character. I am also excited about my work in Kathantharam, in which I am paired with Nedumudi Venu. I play a character with bipolar disorder.
Looking ahead
There is no retirement in this field and I want to be an actress forever. I want to act till my last breath.
(‘Kalyani Kalavani’ is aired Monday to Friday at 8 p.m. on Asianet Plus)
