It is quite literally a homecoming for German-based Malayali Gatha Menon! Although her roots are in Kerala, she completed her schooling in Mumbai, before moving to Germany and later Switzerland to pursue her MBA. So her links with Kerala remained to a bare minimum till she was signed for the lead role in the musical love story Badarul Muneer-Husnal Jamal. Now that her ties with Kerala have been renewed, she is planning to start learning classical dance and also mulling over shifting base to Kochi. Gatha had moved to Bengaluru to pursue a career in modelling. Some photos of hers had caught the eye of screenplay writer Mohammad Shafeeque Koonugal (MSK) and director R.A. Shafeer, who felt that she is perfect for the role.
Speaking about her reasons for signing the film, Gatha says, “I met them both and liked the script. The story dates back to history and I play a Muslim character. The film’s treatment too is not conventional and there is a surrealistic quality about the film.”
Gatha, in real life, has walked the ramp for shows in SwitzerÂland and Bengaluru. How difficult was it for her to slip into the role of a traditional Muslim woman? She replies, “In real life, I am simple and a very conventional kind of person. Of course since I have lived in Europe, I am used to wearing Western clothes.
“But it will be difficult for me to wear clothes that cover me from head to toe. In fact, when I was shown sketches of the costumes, I jokingly enquired if I was really expected to wear them!”
Gatha is leaving no stone unturned in her quest to perfect her dream debut and she is doing her homework.
Malayalam is one language that Gatha is polishing at the moment. She will be required to speak the Muslim slang in the film, so she is getting a grip on the accent by watching Muslim movies.
BMHJ is the story of Moithunni Musaliyar, a legendary freedom fighter and combines there generations, with Ameer Niyas playing the hero opposite Gatha.
Her creative leanings made her opt for Tinsel town. She explains, “Painting, writing, travelling and exploring places are my passions but an interest in cinema has always been latent. Cinema is a field where you can express what you have to on a larger platform.”
So what happens to her MBA degree? She quips, “My mother was not too happy with my marks, so I guess that’s fine!”
