It was as though debutante Divinaa Thackur could read director Jayaraj’s mind, she knew how to bowl him over in the first meeting.
Her love for legendary Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa and her passion to learn the ancient martial arts form Kalaripayattu was just what she needed to land a pivotal role in this week’s big release, Veeram, an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth.
“It was through casting director Meera Unnikrishnan, I met Jayaraj sir. We casually started talking about movies. When he told me his film is an adaptation of Macbeth; I told him Kurosawa’s Throne of Blood has to be the best adaptation of the Shakespearean play. He was surprised I knew about Kurosawa.
Later, when he told me his film will involve a lot of Kalari (Kalaripayattu), I told him I have already been learning it for three years.
He was even more surprised. At the end of the meeting, I was asked to come for screen test,” Divinaa told CE.
Talking about what drew her to the role, she said: “Every time you read a Shakespearean play, be it Romeo and Juliet or Macbeth, you always have a different perception because his work has a lot of drama. As an actor, this was an opportunity for me to do that drama in a very subtle way on screen. Moreover, it’s an amazingly complex and glamorous character.”
She also accepted the role because she’s fascinated by south Indian blouse and mundu.
“I think it’s one of the hottest attires after sari in our country. Also, to perform Kalari on screen got me very excited.”