Among the many heroines that Tollywood has seen, Malayalam actresses have played a key role. Especially with the fact that there haven't been many Telugu speaking actresses, the Kerala kutties have not just filled the void up to a certain extent but have built their entire lives out of Telugu cinema.
In the recent times, actresses like Anupama Parameswaran and Samyuktha Menon, who came here with one or two films, are now completely settled in Telugu cinema and demanding remuneration more than they deserve.
While this is the case with the seniors, the younger lot is no less. Actresses like Mamitha Baiju, Anaswara Rajan, and Malavika Manoj are latest addition to the list of the heroine's who are making their way to Telugu cinema, making things tough for the filmmakers.
While the producers raise the concern about their fee, directors are upset with the unavailability of their dates. Most of these actresses, keeping the demand in mind, are signing multiple projects at a time, giving hard time to the makers when it comes to dates. Besides the pending Malayalam projects in their pipeline, taking additional projects in Telugu has become a challenge in multiple ways.
“Malayalam cinema has been seeing light only since pandemic and suddenly all eyes are on them. It is a very small industry that runs on tight budgets and schedules. It is run by a certain section of influential people and any actor who raises voice against them has to face the consequences. So these actresses, who do not want to lose the opportunity, obey to the rules of AMMA and prioritise Malayalam films only. You can do only one film at a time and cannot start another one till this is wrapped. Also, remember that they get less than half of what Tollywood producers offer” says Mukundh, a production manager from Kochi.
It is an undeniable fact that producers of TFI are offering good paychecks to these newbies. After this, there is no stopping to their demands, and in the recent times, there have been few instances where these actresses are rigid on cooperating with the production. “It is not just the remuneration. Their staff, the hotels they ask for, flight tickets for their parents, staff and what not? The list does not end. And even after providing the best that we can, these actresses and their parents/managers do not co-operate. They leave in the midst of the ongoing schedule if they get a call from Malayalam projects,” said an executive producer who has worked with a few of them in the recent times.
It is high time that these newbies in town respect and acknowledge the fact that Telugu filmmakers are giving them work and opportunities to grow. Telugu audiences have always welcomed actresses from Kerala with warmth and showered them with love for their performances on screen.
Actresses like Shobana, Nayanthara, Manju Warrier and Parvathy Thiruvothu are also Malayalam actresses who have reached heights with their professionalism and respect towards work. They have always put cinema first and their needs always took the back seat. On the contrary to the others in the younger lot, Anna Ben of Kalki fame and Ananthika Sanilkumar of MAD fame gave gained immense respect to their way of working. Hope the rest learn from them.
