The name Aishwarya Rajesh may not ring a bell in Malayalis’ minds, but the names Vaidehi of Jomonte Suviseshangal and Janaki of Sakhavu would definitely do. If Vaidehi provided the Kakkamuttai-fame actress a good entry into Mollywood, her two different get-ups in Sakhavu — a young woman and an old woman — established her presence.
“My first movie was Sakhavu but Jomonte Suviseshangal got released first,” says Aishwarya. “I first shot a few portions of Sakhavu, then joined the sets of Jomon... and returned to Sakhavu.” What makes her happy is that she could do strong characters in those movies.
She is known for her realistic roles. However, it is for the first time that she has enacted the role of an old woman. “It was cinematographer George C. Williams who first told me about Sakhavu. He said that the script was good and asked me to listen to it. Later, Sidhartha Siva called me and narrated the script over the phone.”
“I liked the story, but couldn’t comprehend the concept as I had no deep knowledge about communism in Kerala. So, I came down to Kerala, went through the script again and I liked it,” Aishwarya recalls those days.
In the case of Janaki, Aishwarya didn’t look at the length of the character but the impact it leaves on the audience. For her, both the young and the old portions were interesting. “The character doesn’t have many dialogues in the old get up. Hence, I focused more on her body language. It is a deep character. She has gone through so much in life and her husband is in the ICU. I had to bring a tired appearance to communicate that. Her eyes are tired and shoulders are droopy whereas, in the younger version, she is a spirited woman who helps Sakhavu Krishnan in his fight for people. I really like that wedding scene of Sakhavu Krishnan and Janaki where Sakhavu doesn’t turn up and she waits there for him. I like the dialogues between them during that occasion, also the way they get married by tying a red ribbon,” says Aishwarya.
But, rendering Malayalam dialogues was not an easy task for her. “My mother tongue is Telugu. I was born and brought up in Tamil Nadu. For me, Malayalam is a difficult language. It has got a lot of tongue-twisting words. So, I had to mug up all dialogues. Then, I had to study the situation and make the lip sync right,” she smiles. She is happy that everything turned out well.
The responses she got for Jomonte Suviseshangal and now for Sakhavu are quite positive. She laughs when she says that she is still remembered for her famous ‘mathi dialogue’ in Jomonte Suviseshangal. “A lot of my Kerala friends have messaged me that ‘chechi, your mathi dialogue was really good’. They know me as Vaidehi and Janaki. I am not sure if they know my real name,” she laughs.
Quiz her about being paired opposite two leading actors of Mollywood, she quips, “So many people would be jealous of me, right?” And, continues, “Both Dulquer and Nivin are charming people. When I joined the sets of Jomon.., I had a feeling that Dulquer would have stardom as he is Mammukka’s son. Initially, I didn’t talk to him much. But, over time I realised that he is an amiable, down-to-earth person. On the sets, Dulqer and Greg (Gregory) would drink kattan chaya and one day I told them that ‘you guys drink kattan chaya every time but have never offered me one’. From that day onwards, whenever they drink kattan chaya, I too would get one. Even while ordering food, Dulquer would say, ‘get one for her too, otherwise, she will come and say he didn’t offer me’,” says Aishwarya laughing.
But, Kakkamuttai is one movie that changed her life drastically. The movie has her playing the mother of two living in a slum. Her performance was hailed by all.
“When I got that offer, I was doing three films in Tamil as the heroine. I was hesitant to take up that role and it took me one month to take a decision. But, then the director was not willing to take me as he was afraid whether I would leave the movie in between as it took me so long to accept the offer,” says Aishwarya. “The shooting was also quite challenging. I had to stay in the slum to get deep into the skin of the character. I realised how happily people could live even in such a small space. Also, I had a negative idea about children in slums. The two kids who acted with me totally changed that. They were so good and well disciplined. No matter how many movies I do, Kakkamuttai will be one of my best movies. It fetched me Jomon and Sakhavu,” she says.
