Aparna Balamurali: On a quest for versatile roles

Malayalam actress Aparna Balamurali made her Tamil debut with the critically-acclaimed 8 Thottakal. Though she played a brief role in the movie, it got her recognition from audiences and critics alike. “I have done a handful of movies in Malayalam. Though I am a newcomer in Kollywood, no one treated me like that. They treated me as an equal and when actors like Rajinikanth appreciated the film, it was overwhelming,” she begins her conversation.

After 8 Thottakal’s release, Aparna was flooded with offers from several Tamil directors. “I received a lot of offers, but I am taking my time. I don’t want to rush and do a shoddy job. I am someone who has an inkling towards versatile and strong roles. I am taking my time before signing my next project,” she muses.
Aparna also discloses that she will be taking a break for a couple of months. She goes on to say, “I have three Malayalam releases coming up and in one of the films, I play an auto-driver. I feel that directors would offer me strong and bold roles after seeing my performance. That is the prime reason for this brief hiatus. But, if I come across a great script, I may take it immediately.”

The actress further states that she is a slow decision-maker. “When directors approach me, I take my own sweet time to say yes. I analyse the story and my character deeply before saying yes to a project. If debutant directors approach me, I would watch the short films that would show their prowess in filmmaking. It happened like that for 8 Thottakal,” she concludes.