Bold heroine of Mollywood

The name Aishwarya Lekshmi would immediately remind a movie buff of Appu, the bold heroine of Mayaanadhi who broke all stereotypes. Although Aishwarya marked her debut as Rachel through Njandukalude Naattil Oridavela, it was Appu who carved her a niche among the audience. A grand entry, and moreover, it has streamlined her offers. “I am thankful that I could begin my career with the two best teams in Malayalam,” says Aishwarya. “Though I had not been offered a truckload of projects post the release of Mayaanadhi, the handful that came to me had brilliant female characters that were driving forces of the story. All I had to do was listen to them and pick the best I feel could pull off,” explains Aishwarya, who is waiting for the release of Varathan, her next after Mayaanadhi. Varathan was expected to release during Onam, but due to the floods the makers had to postpone it. The movie is expected to hit the screens soon.

In Varathan too she plays a strong female – Priya Paul, a native of Kottayam. “Talking about the physicality of the character, Priya is a stylish character one can expect in an Amal Neerad film.  She works abroad and has a mother and sister. Her father is no more. On the personal level, she keeps the family bonding alive and deeply loves her husband. At the same time, she is independent and never alters her character for others.”But, she is different from Appu. “The only similarity is that both are strong characters. I feel happy to play strong women because, as an audience member, I feel such characters inspire women when they are down.” 

Aishwarya says she always goes by the gut feeling while choosing a character. Primarily, she wants the story to be interesting. Then, she should be confident about the team’s calibre in executing the subject and her talent in doing justice to the character.  “I don’t want to be a bad performer in a good film. Also, the character should have a space in the film. I know it is hard to ask for that in every film, but that is what I yearn for,” says Aishwarya, who took up Varathan because she loved the script and had no doubts about the talent of the captain of the ship – Amal Neerad.

“I have seen all his movies and know his making style. He does commercial movies but with a message. And the message will be  properly conveyed to the audience at the end. He keeps that subtle balance in his films. Varathan is no different. I feel its script will stand out. A lot of effort has been put in by our writers – Sharfu and Suhas,” says Aishwarya and adds she is still dubious about her  performance in Varathan. “Because, the character was difficult to pull off. The first question I asked Amal Neerad sir was, ‘Sir, do you think I will be able to do it?’ He was confident and guided me well. Working with Amal sir, is definitely, not a cakewalk. He is one of the senior filmmakers and knows what he wants. Since I am new to the field and was working with him for the first time, it was a tad difficult for me to perform. But, he was patient – he gave me enough time to get into the skin of the character and perform,” she says. She hopes she has done justice to Priya. “I will be worried till the movie comes out. I just saw the trailer and songs and I’m now waiting for the release.”

Ask Aishwarya about the shooting experience, she says laughing, “Hectic’ is the one word that could explain it all. I was told that there would be maximum 30 days shooting and I should be there for 22 days. But, we ended up shooting for 70 days due to fluctuating weather. We had to postpone shooting for a few days. But, at the end of the day, we knew it was worth putting so much effort into and waiting for. The story needs to be told in a good way and good things don’t come easily,” she says contently.      Another exciting part was acting alongside Fahadh. “I have always been a fan of his. When he acts, we will see only the character, not him. I wonder how he gives those signature expressions and brings freshness to characters,” says Aishwarya citing one scene from Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum. “The look that he gives at the interval scene when we realise that he has actually swallowed the golden chain is amazing. It is cute and funny; in fact, it carries a lot of emotions.”

As Varathan is waiting its release, Aiswarya is busy with her next projects. She is the female lead in Jis Joy’s Vijay Superum Pournamiyum and Midhun Manuel’s   Argentina Fans Kaattoorkadavu. “Vijay Superum… has a group of brilliant actors on board. Asif ikka is the male lead. It has some melodious tracks too.        In Argentina…, Kalidas plays the male lead. Again, I play a strong character in it,” she smiles. How did cinema mould this medical-professional-turned-actor? “I don’t know how much I have improved as an actor. I think that is a constant process that should happen subconsciously. I am more of a spontaneous actor. But, on a personal note, cinema made me more disciplined, focused and I started bettering myself once I got into cinema,” she signs off.