National Award winning actor Aparna Balamurali has said that choosing politically correct roles in films is very important for an actor.
Addressing a meet-the-press programme organised by the Thrissur Press Club on Thursday, Ms. Balamurali said glorifying wrong models through films was bad as cinema was a medium that hugely influenced people.
Recalling her journey as an actor, Ms. Balamurali said: “Maheshinte Prathikaram gave me a break. It led me to Soorarai Pottru. “
“I am really happy to be part of Soorarai Pottru, which won five national awards. I am proud to win the award as I really worked hard for one year for the film. It was a real challenge to learn the language, accent, and diction correctly. I had to unlearn whatever I gathered in my career as an actor before internalising the character of Bommi. I had to really thank my director Sudha Kongara for the trust she had placed in me.”
When asked about the fear of getting typecast after winning the national award, she said: “Awards should not block an actor from doing versatile roles. As an actor, I would like to do all kinds of roles. However, I would like to do at least one biopic as I think it is a challenge to reflect a person’s real life.”
On the disparity in payment in the film industry, Ms. Balamurali said: “Even I used to feel bad sometimes when there is a huge disparity in payment between actors. It should be the seniority and talent of the actors, not stardom or gender that determine the payment.”
“We should feel proud that there are Malayalam films, which have roles with equal importance for male and female actors,” said the actor who is influenced by actors such as Urvashi, Revathy and Sobhana. “I was lucky enough to get an equally important role as Surya in Soorarai Pottru.”
On releasing films on the OTT platform, she said it had both positive and negative sides. The OTT platforms provided a global viewership for films. At the same time, there would be a dip in the number of people going to theatres. It will affect the lives of many people in the field, she said.
Well-deserved award
Responding to the controversy over selecting Adivasi singer Nanjamma for the award for the best playback singer, Ms. Balamurali, who is also a playback singer, said it was a well-deserved award. “The song in Ayyappanum Koshiyum is a unique song and not very easy to sing. She sang it from her heart. Director Sachi should be appreciated for finding her talent. She has the sound apt for that song.”
Higher Education Minister R. Bindu honoured her with Ponnada. “Aparna Balamurali is the pride of the State,” the Minister said.
