Mastering Malayalam

The mirror was her best friend when she was a child. She spent a lot of time dancing and emoting in front of it.

Right from her childhood, Mumbai girl Aavaana was fascinated with acting, an attraction which only grew stronger with time. She pursued creative streams like dancing and theatre and is a trained Bharatanatyam and Kathak dancer.

After Aavaana's graduation in the US, she returned to Mumbai and decided to follow her dreams of acting. Although she claims to have got offers in Bollywood, Aavaana decided to take the plunge in Tinsel town through Suresh Nair's Mollywood film 'Medulla Oblankatta'.

Aavaana says she has been receiving offers from Bollywood for the past three years. “Yes, it would have been logical for me to have debuted in Bollywood but there is a lot of politics and other stuff happening and I believe in working with non negotiable moral values and dignity. I am evaluating a few Bollywood scripts as well. I had earlier received three Mollywood offers which did not pan out."

She says the theme of 'Medulla Oblankatta' attracted her. She plays a simple Gujarati girl who catches the fancy of four guys who are friends. She is happy with the co-operation she got from both her co-stars and director, all of whom ensured she was comfortable.

Aavaana confesses that the language down south does pose a problem for her.

She acknowledges the challenge of learning Malayalam, but says, “I have a person coming over to teach me Malayalam. Yes, it is tough and there is a lot of tongue twisting involved but I am determined to learn the language!"

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