Anisha Victor: A demonic entry into films

Aval, the trilingual flick starring Siddharth and Andrea Jeremiah in the lead roles, which is directed by Milind Rau, is the talk of the town for its new and sincere attempt at creating horror. With athe whole cast performing their best, one actress stole the show. Anisha Victor, as the possessed neighbour Jenny, gave a good share of scare-fare and did exceedingly well. She shares about her journey into the film world, her love for acting and more.

Tell us about how you bagged aval...

My father was an Army man and I’ve travelled and shifted to different cities and I’ve now settled in Mumbai. I’ve always loved acting. After doing about 20 plus ad commercials and a few short films, I auditioned for Jenny’s role last year. After a few weeks, I got a call saying that I was selected!

Are you a fan of horror films and stories?

Of course! I’ve been watching horror films since when I was in my third grade. From Exorcist to The Conjuring series and Annabelle…I’ve watched them all. I never thought that I’ll get a chance to act in such an important role — it’s like I’ve received an award for watching horror films!

How was it to act under Milind Rau and to share the screen space with Siddharth and Andrea?

Whatever Jenny was on screen, the whole credit goes to Milind and Siddharth. Atul Kulkarni, who played my father, helped me with learning Tamil too. The team was young and vibrant. Andrea was such a sweet person. Whenever we resumed shoot after a break, she brought goodies like cakes and brownies from home, baked by her mother. The Chinese characters that form an important part of the flashback were played by talented artistes too. It was an incredible experience on the whole.

This is your debut film and you had to perform as a possessed person for most of your screen time. What was the most challenging part?

Everyone asked me if exorcism was challenging. It was, indeed, but it was more challenging to play a 17-year-old. I’m also a kid at heart and I had to bring that personality out for being Jenny. As for the possessed parts, since I watched a lot of films, it helped me get into the character easily — everything was in my memory. Most of the film was shot in Himachal and I loved being in the mountains too.

What are your upcoming projects and would you be  doing more Tamil films?

I’d definitely love to do more Tamil and Telugu films. The next film I’m working on is an Indo-American crime drama. Although the role is not a big one, my character has an impact and I love it.