The actor in the poster shows a woman dressed in rustic attire with just a black thread around her neck. Her face is completely plain but there is a smile on her face. But wait, doesn’t the actor look familiar? Those eyes and smile have made a million male hearts race faster, albeit in a glamorous version. Yes, it is the ultra chic Sonia Agarwal, who has undergone a complete transformation for her role in the Malayalam film Theetta Rappai directed by Vinu Ramakrishnan! This is her third appearance in Mollywood.
She is over the moon about the opportunity and the reactions to her look. It was the look and spirit of the character that drew her to the project, based on the life of the famous voracious eater from Thrissur by the same title name. Sonia plays Kochu Teresia — a spinster from a poor background who works in a quarry to support her bed-ridden mother and two sisters — one of whom is blind. It goes without saying that her character is fiercely independent but faces the travails that any normal working woman would — the lecherous stares and innuendos from men. To counteract that, she has developed a core of steel as her armour. The intrinsic strength of her character is what attracted Sonia to the role. She says, “I have played bold, independent roles in the past but no character as bold, with a getup like this. The challenge was to get myself into those clothes and makeup and bring Kochu Teresia to life.” Director Vinu made an impression during the very first narration.
“There was clarity in the script narration because that is very important to me. Tamil is a language I am comfortable with but since I am not fluent in other languages, I really need directors who can bring out the best in me,” says Sonia, who saw through the perfection that Vinu demanded in each expression and nuance, even while he was narrating the script. Talking about the attire she dons in the film has her trying to hide a mix of mirth and wonder. She narrates, “I was never told about the attire and was under the impression that I would be wearing cotton saris since I am poor. So on the first day of the shoot, I am in my vanity van and ask my costumer for my attire and he hands me a lungi and a towel!” Sonia looked at the lungi and towel and was aghast. She had just one thought in her mind, ‘How do I wear this?’ The costumer showed her photos and Sonia, with a lot of trepidation, donned her attire. She also adds that she put on dark makeup for her look. It didn’t take her much time to get comfortable with the attire.
Unlike Sonia’s costume that was cast aside after she finished her shooting, her character left a deep imprint on her mind. The role of a quarry worker had her stepping into and actually living the life of a woman who toils. She candidly reveals that Kochu Teresia was a character who gave her a peek into the world of women quarry workers. “So far most of my characters have been from privileged backgrounds but when I played this character, I got to see a side of life that, as a normal person, I have never been exposed to,” she explains, mentioning that the shooting took place under the hot sun in the scorching heat of April. So searing was the heat that Sonia developed heat boils on her head but that is not what she is concerned about, “Just imagine how it must be for the women actually working in quarries during those hot months. I saw so many women, even elderly ones, working in the quarries. It was an experience of another side of life, much more than just shooting for a film!”
This realistic portrayal of society is what attracts her to Malayalam though she has projects in Telugu and Tamil. She is a part of another Malayalam film Adukalayil Paniyundu. Sonia has also tried her hand at working in serials and for an actor who cherishes new experiences, that foray gave her a lot of happiness. Her first serial was Nannal, a Khushboo Sundar production. It was Khushboo who asked her to give mini screen a shot. Later, Sonia also acted in the serial Malli. Speaking of the learning ground that serials were, Sonia says, “I feel acting in serials polished me,” explaining, “When you act in films, you get a lot of time to relax but serials do not give you that luxury. You have to shoot almost continuously — one shot after the other — for almost 20 days a month. That made me understand technical aspects and really made me polish my craft.” The audience reaction vis-a-vis the two mediums is also very polar as Sonia found out. “If the youngsters and middle-aged people were my fans because of films; my serial stint gave me elderly fans, who approached me in temples and other public places with a lot of love and warmth.”
Other than her acting commitments, Sonia believes in staying fit. Fitness is almost like a religion to her but she feels it is not only the stars who give importance to working out these days. “Generally everyone is more healthy now and the industry standards of fitness have also changed. The image of a typical South heroine is gradually changing and competition ensures that as actors, we all stay fit. More than professional reasons, it is also good be healthy personally!”
Sonia talks about her upcoming projects, which are “Thanimai in Tamil where I play a Sri Lankan woman, a Kannada project and another Tamil one where I act opposite G.V. Prakash”.Before she ends, she states, “I am trying to maintain a balance between commercial and realistic projects.”
