Looking for perfomative roles

Like any other youngster of her age, Karthika Muraleedharan too has many worries and tensions — regarding her studies, exams, where to travel and others. However, unlike others, Karthika has something more to think about. The art student, who is in her final year of college, has already stepped into the world of cinema, which according to her is definitely something that she would like to take up, being a creative person. The one-film-old Karthika has succeeded in getting herself noticed by the Malayalam audience with her charming personality and fine acting.

Though her character in the first film CIA was something that forms the base for the entire story, she had very little to do. However, her latest movie Uncle with superstar Mammootty has given her a chance to work in a performative role, exactly like she expects her characters to be. When asked about her character and the movie, the actor has specific explanations to give that clearly show how much Karthika has worked to understand the script and her character.

“The main highlight of the movie is that the script has been written by Joy Mathew and he has taken immense care and time for characterisation. Unlike other movies, which distinctly show the black and white, the essence of Uncle lies in the fact that the movie does not discriminate between the characters as heroes or villains. The situation that the movie talks about is the hero and the characters just behave accordingly. My character in the movie is that of a charming girl, who unknowingly becomes prey to moral policing and the series of incidents that take place after I decide to travel with my father’s friend.”

Karthika is of the opinion that the topic that Uncle deals with is not a hypothetical one where we have to imagine things, “It can happen to me or anyone out there and that is what makes the audiences relate to KK and Shruthy (names of the characters played by Mammootty and Karthika). While we all come across moral policing in one way or the other, it sometimes can be good or bad. But the real question is how bad is bad and how good is good?” she asks.

The young actor is all praises for the acting skills Mammootty has and stresses upon the fact that no other actor could have pulled of this role with such sophistication and elegance. When asked if she backs the comment by Joy that the movie will portray a different side of Mammootty and that it will require the actor in him to come out to the fullest, Karthika says that Uncle definitely showcases the prodigious talent that the actor has.

Karthika, who has worked with both Dulquer and Mammootty, says both of them have a distinct approach towards movies. She is reading scripts coming her way and says she is not in a hurry to do movies. “I am ready to wait for scripts that makes sense to me,” she concludes.