A seasoned star
Talent, elegance and positivity — these factors constitute Asha Sarath, one of the most promising artistes in the Malayalam film industry. A gifted classical dancer, she has definitely made her mark in the film industry, even if it's with a handful of movies in a year. Her latest movie Bhayanakam had won three National Awards and was released in theatres yesterday. The movie based on Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai's classic novel Kayar is directed by Jayaraj and has Renji Panicker in the lead role with her.
Bhayanakam marks the first association of Asha with Jayaraj. She joined the sets after a delay due to some personal reasons. However, Jayaraj and his team waited around two months for her, as he knew she was the apt artiste to portray ‘Gowri Kunjamma’. “Jayaraj sir first explained the character to me over the phone. He said Gowri is a mature woman and the mother of two children. However, I was not able to join the sets on time. But he and the team waited patiently for me. We will always have anxiety while working with a director of this stature. But he was so comfortable to work with. He helped us do the characters with ease. His mood never changed on the sets and his patience is something amazing,” she shares. Asha asserts that Gowri was one of the toughest characters she ever did.
She had to put in a lot of effort for the character and the shooting of the movie was also a bit difficult. She terms her character as a lifetime experience. “All my characters prior to Gowri were those we see around in life. It was really challenging to play a woman from the 1930’s. The character followed the Kuttanadan slang, which I was unfamiliar with. Also, the dialogue rendering of olden days was a new experience for me. Since the movie used sync sound technique, all these aspects tested the artiste in me. As I said, Jayaraj sir’s support was very encouraging. With the help of the whole team, I was able to portray it well,” she says.
She's full of praise for her team and co-actor Renji Panicker. The team members had to wake up early in the morning for the shoot and travelled on boats to reach their sets. Shooting in Kuttanad was challenging as they had to tackle unexpected rains, mud, etc. “The whole team deserves a lot of credit. We know Renjiyettan through his powerful scripts and characters. But I was able to see a completely different Renjiyettan in this movie. His transformation into the character was exceptional,” she says, adding, “Cinematographer Nikhil has done commendable work.
He had clear ideas of all the frames and shots. When his vision along with that of the director came together, Bhayanakam turned out to be a gratifying experience for me. I was amazed to know that many people from Kuttanad were in the army and had fought in the World War. The movie will definitely be a revealing experience as it shows how people joined the army to serve their country and families.”
Asha will be seen next with Mohanlal in Ranjith's Drama. She will be portraying the role of Mohanlal's wife. The movie that is completely shot in the UK promises to be a light-hearted entertainer. She, being a fan of Ranjith, was so thrilled at this opportunity. “Drama will totally be an entertaining movie. What makes it more exciting is that we would be able to see the old, bubbly Lalettan in every frame. The shooting was so enjoyable; the mood was just like being on a holiday. This will be a movie that will make you think and laugh out loud,” she talks about Drama.
She will soon be joining her next movie, directed by K.K. Rajeev and scripted by Bobby-Sanjay. A Telugu film is also on the cards. She effectively tries to manage her time with family, dance schools, movies and dance performances. As she stays in Dubai and needs to take care of family and other commitments, she has to limit movie projects to 2-3 in a year. She continues to do around three dance performances in a month. Asha became a familiar face through the mini-screen and hopes to get back to it once her busy schedule is sorted out. The most difficult question for any artiste would be to pick their best character to date. “All my characters are so close to me. But, Suma from Anuraga Karikkin Vellam is more close to my heart. My mother is like Suma, maybe that's the reason,” she concludes.