Nowhere is the passage of time more apparent than in the world of films. Actors who debuted as children with their hair in pigtails and baby fat on them suddenly transform into svelte, beautiful young women capable of single-handedly carrying a film on their slim shoulders. Joining the ever-growing list of child actors-turned-female lead is the very pretty Esther Anil.
Drishyam-fame Esther has already displayed her acting prowess in the hit film along with its remake in Tamil, and was last seen in the Renji Panicker-starrer Gemini. Esther has now shrugged off her child avatar by becoming the Olu (She) of the Shaji N. Karun film of the same name. Not an easy task considering the past record and credentials of the well-known award-winning director, who has been known to veer off the beaten path with his style of realistic filmmaking. This film, too, is no different and that presented a daunting task to the girl who was then studying in 10th standard.
Esther states with the refreshing candor of innocence, “I met Shaji sir in Kozhikode after I got a call from him asking for a meeting. Shaji sir then proceeded to tell me the one-liner. Here I was nervous and there he was a famous director asking me if I could play the lead in his film. Truth be said, the film has a concept which was more than what I could grasp at that point of time. But then everyone around me advised me that it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. So I decided to act in the film.” Though Esther is not at liberty to give out too much information about her role, she does say that her character’s name is Maya, a 15-year-old girl who belongs to a nomadic tribe. The film has Shane Nigam starring opposite her.
The first-look poster of the film shows an ethereal Esther floating amongst water plants and lotuses with colourful fishes giving her company. That does evoke curiosity regarding the premise. “The film depicts the platonic love of a 15-year-old girl. How does a girl of that age view love? It is part fantasy, too,” she hints.
So, what about the underwater scenes? With a coy laugh she reveals, “Those scenes were not shot underwater, but I had to get into the character perceiving or even imagining that I was underwater. Consequently, my body language, manner of speaking and action had to slow down considerably to simulate being underwater.”
Esther reveals that it took her two days of shooting to get the nuances right and that playing Maya was a huge challenge. Working with Shane was an enjoyable task as she explains, “Shane and me used to discuss our scenes in detail since we interpre ted the scenes differently.” Shaji used to help Esther explaining the character but there was a catch. “Sir left the performing part completely to us and gave us the liberty to act in the way we interpreted the scene! That was a very difficult process for me though it taught me a lot about the craft.”
Though Olu is Esther’s Malayalam debut as lead, she has already played the lead in the Tamil film Minmini (The Firefly). This film has an interesting premise. It started two years back when Esther was in Class 10. The film shows two looks of hers one as a Class 10 girl and another as a Class 12 girl. Interestingly, director Halitha Shameem wanted real-time changes of Esther and waited for two years to shoot the Class 12 look. Esther excitedly adds, “I even rode a Bullet for that film!”
The excitement in Esther’s voice is palpable when she talks about cinema, but she is also a student at a crucial juncture in her academic life. She moved from Wayanad to Kochi to pursue her tinsel town dreams. So how does the Class 12 student juggle her studies and her passion? Esther laughs her childish laugh. “Since I am in Class 12, I have not accepted too many offers. Education is important to me. The one that I have signed up for is Jeethu Joseph’s upcoming film starring Kalidas Jayaram.” She had an advantage here. “Jeethu sir’s daughter is also studying with me, so he took care to see that I had my shooting dates on holidays and non-exam days. I have not lost classes on account of my films,” she explains.
Esther has spent a large part of her life in the industry and is now mature enough to express her views of the #MeToo movement that is gaining traction across the world. So, instead of soft pedaling around the subject we ask her what is her opinion? Esther candidly answers, “Honestly, I have not faced any bad experiences from within the industry, but that is not to imply that it is not present.” It was the virtual experiences that gave her sleepless nights, she reveals. “Instagram, Facebook, Youtube — I have faced my share of distasteful and vile comments from various individuals on these platforms. Two years back such comments used to upset me, but now I have grown up enough to ignore them.” She pauses for a moment and continues, “If people are posting comments with the intention of correcting me, then there is a way to go about it — minus the bad language and vile words.”
Coming back to what she loves, Esther is open to work in any industry and again frankly says, “I love working in Tamil because even as a child artiste, I was given respect irrespective of my age!”
