A balancing act

"Kolakuzhal vili ketto..." The song has been immortalised in the minds of every Malayali and so is the simple charming girl Bhamaa. Having debuted on the silver screen at a very young age, her growth and transformation as a star in films was slow but amazingly successful.

As we sit down to speak with the actress who is basking in the success of her recently released Kannada film which is running houseful in Karnataka, she speaks with confidence.

“I am really enjoying my current stint in filmdom. My entry into films was by sheer coincidence but now I have stamped my presence in all the four south Indian languages. I am really happy about it," she says.

However, she quickly adds that the journey so far has not been an easy one.

“When I got my break in 'Nivedyam', cinema and stardom seemed like a fantasy. I had no idea what it would be like to be an actor. I used to do several movies simultaneously without giving acting much thought. None of them gave me an opportunity to perform. It was after 2011, when I started working in Kannada films that my career started looking up."

Bhamaa has won hearts with her traditional looks and attitude in 'Nivedyam' and her transformation to a stylish and trendy actor came as a surprise to many. Her makeover was not just about her appearance but also in her career.

“It was not an overnight transformation. After working in Kannada films, I learnt how to deal with the profession. Then, came the balancing act between Malayalam films and Kannada. If I do three or more films a year in Kannada, then I work in a single film in Malayalam and vice versa. I may have lost some good projects, but I have no regrets."

She says that it is not the number of movies but the satisfaction that one gets from playing a role that is more important.

“The reason why I jumped into Kannada films was the roles I got which were as important as the male lead. The space for a female lead in our films is not that important and most wanted a mere female presence in the movie at that time. I knew that it was not going to satisfy me. I feel that if I do a role in our films, it should be worthy and memorable."

Playing Ramanujan's wife Janakiammal in the bilingual film helmed by Gnana Rajashekaran, Bhama's career graph has taken a new turn and the actor says that the role will help explore a new facet of her acting.

“The role demanded a lot of homework from me. Before going for the shoot, I googled about Janakiammal, but there weren't many detailed references for me to understand her. The way she looked as a teenager, the person she was, was vague. Fortunately, I happened to lay hands on a photograph of hers, which became my single reference. However, the role is one of the most challenging ones that I've done so far."

Talking about the exciting shooting of her upcoming flick 'Naku Penta Naku Taka', she says, “The first word that I learnt after arriving in Kenya was Karibu which means welcome. From there onwards the one month shooting of the movie was totally eventful, especially the ostrich ride. When my director asked me to ride an ostrich for a song sequence, I nearly died. Ostriches are not trained to be ridden and they are so temperamental. I was asked to smile and look happy but I couldn't hide my fear. However, with the help of locals, I managed to do the scene and surprisingly with two takes the shot was canned."

Now Bhamaa has several Malayalam films in her kitty. “Right now I have exciting projects lined up for release. 'Konthayum Poonulum', '100 degree Celsius', 'Naku Penta Naku Taka', 'Ramanujam' are some among them," concludes Bhamaa.