It was just the thought of getting engaged in some form of creative subject that persuaded Shruthy Muralidharan to send her bio-data for the audition call of a movie. An Ayurveda doctor by profession, she was on a break and preparing for an examination that would make her eligible to work abroad. However, after undergoing three rounds of screening, several workshops and finally having bagged a role in the movie, Kuttanpilayude Shivarathri, Shruthy says she feels as if she was destined to do this.
“As they say, if you genuinely wish something to happen, the entire universe conspires for that. Some-where deep within my heart, I always wanted to act and see myself on the big screen and I guess this is the right time.” Though passionate, Shruthy does not belong to the clan of those driven by mere fantasies. She was not ready to blindly associate with a movie just for the sake of doing one. “Being a dancer, even though I was keen to be associated with an art form that requires enacting, I was particular about teaming up with people who are pure professionals,” she says with due respect to movies.
She further adds that Kuttanpilayude Shivarathri is the best break that she could ever get. Shruthy has also acted in some short films directed by her husband, which according to her, increased her love for movies and the yearning to act.
When asked about the challenges she had to face as a newcomer, Shruthy explains that the workshops conducted before the shooting were of great help. It helped her examine and understand different aspects of cinema that, as a viewer, she was unaware of.
“As jackfruit is one of the major aspects of the story, the first five classes of were on how to cut a jackfruit neatly. This is when I got to know how hard a team works to bring perfection to the characters,” the actress says. Shruthy is all praises for Suraj Venjaramood and opines that a profound actor like him is rare to find.
Sharing a memory on the sets of the movie, Shruthy says that she was deeply moved by the way actor Shrinda enacted a particular situation. “ The originality and accuracy with which Shrinda did a shot where she was supposed to cry was so realistic and original that even other actors started crying. Despite being a comedian, Suraj Venjaramood has done an outstanding job and for a newbie like me Kuttanpilayude Shivarathri was indeed a school where I learnt the first lessons of acting and movies,”she says.
Shruthy is of the opinion that watching such senior artistes closely has changed her approach towards cinema. It has taught her to watch movies in a more serious manner that includes studying the characters and how the actors get into their skin. She is happy that the movie is getting good response from audience and feels that it is like a dream come true moment. Shruthy hopes to get more performance-oriented roles and stay in cinema.
