It has now become passé to equate serious films with actor Anumol. It is not that she does not want to act in commercial films or that she makes a distinction between parallel films and commercial ones but what comes seeking her are roles that veer away from the beaten track and require a huge does of acting acumen. “What roles I get in commercial films are not big in terms of screen prominence and I do not want to do small bits just for the sake of acting in big budget commercial films,” she states Not that Anumol is complaining – she is happy with the trajectory her career is taking. She is especially excited with a film she is currently shooting for titled Udalaazham. It will see Photographer-fame Mani act in the lead as a boy who is caught in a dilemma over gender identity.
Mentioning yet again that the film is very special and close to her heart, Anumol first shares her happiness about a female music director taking her baby steps in Mollywood – Sithara Krishnakumar. Moving on to her character, Anumol says, “The film explores male-female relationships and the mental state of a transgender. The film is also a play of contrasts between the forest and the city and between black and white. I play a dancer Meera whose whole life is dedicated to her dance to the extent that though married, she does not want a child for she fears that the child will interfere with her dance. Her husband does not like her dancing, commenting that her audience do not enjoy her dance performances but instead look at her body. Meera is caught between love for dance and her husband.” The role is very complex with a lot of scope for plumbing her acting depths.
The making of the film was also very different as Anumol recounts, “There was no fixed script and the director gavefull freedom to the cast to improvise and speak their dialogues which was recorded in sync sound.” Also, Anumol reveals that the house in which Meera stays was actually where she stayed during the shooting. While her excitement is quite palpable, Anumol talks about her other project Nilavu Ariyathe in which she plays the character Patta. “It is a period film where the caste system which was prevalent at one time is talked about,” she mentions. She also has four other Malayalam films in her kitty – all with interesting scripts. In addition to Mollywood, Anumol also has two Tamil and a Bengali project in hand. While her film career is on an upswing, Anumol who is also equally passionate about her dance career much like Meera, is busy with stage performances too.
