THIRUVANATHAPURAM: One moment she is a spirited soul, sanguine and zesty and the very next she goes into a Zen mode discussing the aesthetics of life.
Meera Jasmine agrees mood swings are part of her, “shuttling between two poles” as she puts it. “I am happy at one moment and the next I am sad. At times I start dancing and whistling and then sit gloomy for no reason,” she gushes with innate innocence.
Back to Malayalam cinema after a considerable gap of almost three years she says she is sick of the term ‘re-entry’. “It saddens me when they say Meera is returning to Malayalam as if I were completely out of the radar. I was only waiting for the right script.”
In her latest film 'Paattinte Paalazhi' she plays Veena, a young singer who tries to follow her dreams. “Veena is delicate and docile, not bold or outspoken but possesses large amounts of inner strength. The film chronicles three different phases of her life and I am doing such a character for the first time. In this film I’ve paid utmost importance to my appearance. I even compromised with my makeup and hairdo to look my character,” she says.
Meera’s next in Malayalam is Saji Surendren’s comic caper 'Four Friends' in which she plays the spunky Gouri along with Jayaram, Jayasurya and Kunchako Boban.
Meera is one lucky starlet from the young league who was always offered solid roles. We never saw her in tailor-made parts limited to looking good and dancing around the trees with the hero. She admits playing the dancing manikin was never in her plans but adds being selective comes with a price in the world of glamour and glitz.
“People will blame me if I resort to casual female roles now. Acting is your profession and sticking to standards is a high risk prospect. By not being so selective you can earn a lot of money. I am not able to earn money because I am selective.”
Meera says even when she was roaming in the industries where heroines were showcased as mere glamour dolls nobody approached her with such offers. “Glam quotient is an important factor in some cases. But I get performance-oriented roles. Nobody has ever asked me to play second fiddle to the hero. Even in superstar films I was not added as an accessory. I prefer to be a good actor rather than being the glamour queen.”
She has fond memories of working with masters and says working with each filmmaker was a learning process. “Maniratnam is a highly professional and demanding filmmaker and he has successfully squeezed out what he expected of me while filming 'Ayudha Ezhuthu'. At that time I was not a pure professional. My degree of involvement and professionalism has increased over the years and I wish I could do another Maniratnam film now.”
She might have sparked a sensation in Tamil or Telugu but Meera says that she is most comfortable with Malayalam films. “It’s like filming at your home with your family.”
Meera says she is emotionally attached to the Malayalam industry and had a miserable stint when she started off with other language films. “At first I was sad and sullen as I felt lonely and missed the familiarity and love,” she says.
There was a time when she used to be controversy’s favourite child and Meera says she has mellowed down over the years and nothing can quiver her equilibrium now.
“I don’t expect life to be an extremely happy affair. Darker days do come and I always try to control my emotions and never let myself to be happy beyond limits,” she says.
We are used to talented actors exiting the scene once they announce their decision to tie the knot. But Meera makes it clear she has no plans to join the club.
“I believe in fate. Fate is a script written by god. My script is already written by a superior power and it’s who he decides my exit. If it is written that I should leave the show before the interval I can do nothing about it. If he wants me to remain till the climax nothing can oust me too. Marriage or any other thing cannot make me call it quits.”
But is a hasty wedding on the cards? “I am fortunate to have a life partner who completely understands me and my profession. The only thing is we have to officially get married and that may happen any moment, it can be next month or two years later,” she smiles.