As the Malayalam film industry has been on a total shutdown to contain the spread of the Coronavirus, many actors have taken to social media to stay connected with the audience. While some of them post videos shot at home, actor Anu Sithara has started her own YouTube channel, Anu Sithara.
Launched on April 30, the channel has garnered 61.9k subscribers and counting and the first episode featuring her whipping up mathan ila thalichathu received over 8.3 lakh views. “I am in my hometown, Wayanad, and wanted to do something creative. It was my husband, Vishnu Prasad, who put forward the idea of a YouTube channel,” says Anu. Since Vishnu is a photographer, Anu says shooting videos has been easy.
Through the channel, she wants to introduce viewers to different facets of Wayanad. “I plan to take viewers to unexplored but beautiful places in the district,” she adds.
A screenshot from Anu Sithara’s YouTube channel featuring the actor and her paternal grandmother
The first episode, ‘Ente Ummante Thaalippu’ features her paternal grandmother, Rukhiya, whom she calls umma , cooking mathan ila thalichathu – a curry made with tender pumpkin leaves that are cooked in kanjivellam. “My father is a Muslim and my mother a Hindu. I fast during the month of Ramzan whenever I can. Umma used to feed me rice and this curry as the pre-dawn meal when I was young. Even now, she prepares it when she fasts and this is one dish I look forward to whenever I come down to Wayanad,” she says. The video also features her younger sister, Anu Sonara, showcasing her talent for singing.
“I may not be posting videos every week since I want to spend enough time on (creating) each episode. Dishes that are special to Wayanad will certainly be featured. There will be ethnic eats prepared by my ammamma (maternal grandmother) and my mother-in-law. Travel content will be shot only after the lockdown is lifted,” she explains.
As for her upcoming cinema projects, the actor says she has two Malayalam movies, which haven’t gone on the floors yet.
