Gayathri Arun has a lot in common with Deepthi IPS, the mini screen superheroine who broke soap stereotypes. Like her character Deepthi, Gayathri too is committed to her family and her profession alike. When various big screen offers came her way, sounding just like Deepthi, she said, “I made a commitment and can’t leave it midway.” She will soon make her debut in films with Sarvopari Palakkaran, in which she plays the role of a police officer.
So, did she compromise her stance? “My six-day shoot did in no way affect the schedule of Parasparam,” she maintains.
Four years of playing the central character in the longest running top-rated soap of Malayalam television seems to have made her a bit like her onscreen avatar.
“I have been getting many calls for movies. But I value my word. I have been with Parasparam for more than four years. This role has brought me so much fame, love and respect. Moving to films means I will have to let go of Deepthi, which I can’t do,” reasons Gayathri, who now spends 15 days a month on the sets of Parasparam.
Again a police act. Was she being typecast?
“I don’t think so. TV and big screen are two different realms and the characters are different. Deepthi is someone who has become a part of me. In the movie, Chandra Sivakumar — Thrissur City Police Commissioner — comes in at a very crucial point as part of the investigation of a case by the hero, another cop played by Anoop Menon,” Gayathri says.
Anoop too is someone who came from the mini screen and made it big in movies. Gayathri feels working with Anoop has been a revelation. “I was expecting a tense environment. But Venugopan, the director, and Anoop were very supportive. They told me about the difference between acting in movies and serials — like quicker movements and toning down of exaggerated expressions. Anoop even enacted my part and made my transition easier. We had a lot of combination scenes as we were playing colleagues. And no, it is not a crime thriller, but a comedy entertainer with a socially relevant theme,” she says. The movie is expected to hit the screens on July 21.
