Actress Akshaya, who made heads turn in a villainous role alongside Arya in Kalaaba Kaadhalan, took a long sabbatical after acting in a few films including Umformung — The Transformation from Bollywood that won several awards in international festival circuit. She is back now in a new avatar.
The dusky actress turns filmmaker with Yaali, a romantic thriller shot in Mumbai and Malaysia. In an exclusive to DC, Akshaya speaks about her experiences. “Yaali is used as a metaphor here, it’s the name of a ‘Protecting God’ who is portrayed with the face of a lion, the body of a horse and an elephant tusk. I represent the title character Janani, a mix of three animals, with the power of all three. Thaman is the male lead. Debutant Arjun will be seen in an important role besides Urvashi and Manobala. The big plus for the movie is legendary Vairamuthu sir who has penned the lyrics”, Akshaya says.
On the story, she reveals, “Yes, the script touches upon a topical issue, though I did not take any reference from my real life, any girl would relate to it. Since I required a yard as a backdrop, I chose to shoot the film in Mumbai and did a 25-day schedule in Malaysia.”
Ask her about the predicament of being a woman director and she replies. “It is very tough in a male dominated industry. I also felt the pinch of it to some extent. Initially, people were saying, ‘Let’s see what she can do being a woman’. And I had trouble with some workers as well. They wouldn’t listen to me. Anyway, I have completed the film crossing all hurdles, thanks to my husband Balachander and mom Kavithavani, who produced and stood by me all the time.” What next, only direction? “Not really, I am ready to act in meaty roles”, is how she signs off.
