I put on pounds for the character: Iniya

Iniya is in the midst of a rehearsal for an upcoming fashion show. A model, dancer and actor, she says she manages to juggle the three areas well. “I am learning contemporary dance now,” says the actor, who is excited about the release of her Malayalam movie Parole on Friday. “My character’s name is Annie, a Christian achayathi pennu,” says the actor.  “Though I acted with Mammukka in Puthan Panam, it was a character role. In Parole, I play his wife’s role,” she says. “The story takes place in a village where Alex, the character played by Mammukka resides. The movie talks his life – problems he goes through in life and events that land him in jail,” adds Iniya.

It is not the first time Iniya is playing a mother. However, she had to do some preparations for this character. “She has a son and needs to be mature. I put on pounds and changed the whole body language for a mature get up,” she says. “I observed people around me to grasp the body language. I chose this role as it has got good acting scope. The story is good. Also, I feel lucky to share the screen space with Mammukka,” she adds.  The shooting of Iniya’s portions were in Thodupuzha and Bengaluru. “The family part was shot in Thodupuzha, whereas the jail portion was in Bengaluru,” she says. “It was a great experience to work with the team. I am grateful to director Sharrath Sandith, who comes from the advertising industry, for this opportunity. He briefs the character by giving its minute details and patiently takes each shot. The team had a good working culture,” recalls Iniya. 

When it comes to her experience with Mammootty, she says, “He is quite friendly. It is great to see persons of his stature supporting upcoming talents like me. On the sets, he would help with dialogue delivery and improvisation. During break time he would be having fun time with us. It was fun shooting for Parole,” says Iniya, who has also one Tamil movie Pottu gearing up for release.  “It is a horror movie and I play the title character in it.” She also has a bilingual (Kannada and Telugu) and two Malayalam movies in the kitty. Ask her if she is choosy, she replies, “Yes, I am. I don’t want to rush with movies,” she concludes.