Right now, she may be the only actor in Mollywood who plays Mohanlal’s mother and sister with ease. Quiz Anjali about this, and she is quick to respond: “I am bound by no particular image and not averse to playing a mother. I played Dulquer Salman’s mother in Kammattipadam and I am playing Soubin Shahir’s lead lady in Kinder Joy. So, it is like I am exploring the realms of the craft that acting is. I am excited about this,” says Anjali.
Anjali’s foray into tinsel town happened very unexpectedly. Her debut couldn’t be better, with her winning the State Film Award for the portrayal of a ‘cruel mother’, in Ben, which, she says, was a “character that is diagonally opposite me”.
Ever since, Anjali has been playing the onscreen mother. “Actually the shoot for Rajeev Ravi’s Kammattipadam took place before Ben hit the screens. I was called to play another character which didn’t happen. It was then that I was chosen for the character of Dulquer’s mother. Kammattipadam was a great experience,” says Anjali.
Anjali, who has just wound up her schedule for Vysakh’s Pulimurugan where she plays the mother to Mohanlal’s character, says the movie required her to be realistic.
“I play a pregnant woman and there is this scene where I fall down. The director has shot it so well and realistically that it adds to the feel of the movie. One reason why I chose to work in Pulimurugan is its wonderful cast,” says Anjali.
The actor who will soon be seen in director Priyadarshan’s Oppam, where she gets back with Mohanlal again. “As a co-star there isn’t a better person. The whole crew was supportive and caring,” says Anjali.