She has carved a niche for herself as an actor of repute, on the silver screen. After marriage, motherhood and a short stint on televison, Sripriya is directing a feature film titled 22 Malini Palayamkottai. Speaking to CE, Sripriya reveals that she is enjoying this phase of her life.
“My kids are grown up and they don’t need me that much,” smiles Sripriya, who is currently shooting the second schedule of the movie.The proud mom of two, says, “I know nothing but cinema. So, now that I have time in my hands, I decided to direct.”
The film is the remake of the Malayalam hit 22 Female Kottayam and deals with the raging national issue of sexual assaults on women. Talking about the subject, Sripriya says, “As a woman and a mom, I feel disturbed and angry at what’s happening. Making this film is my way of registering this anger.”
Coincidentally, Sripriya was shooting the crucial molestation scene for her movie in Hyderabad on the day the recent Mumbai assault took place.
“We were disturbed to hear about it. Our film stresses about women getting stronger. They are no longer going to keep quiet,” she says. Sripriya has given the nomenclature of ‘survivors’ as against the usual ‘victims’ to the affected women in her film. Nithya Menon plays the lead role that was played by Rima Kallingal in the original.
“Nithya has a certain vulnerability and fits the bill perfectly,” says Sripriya. Krish J Sathar will play the male lead while Arvind Shankar will compose the music.
So has she made any changes? “We are shooting in Tamil and Telugu and have made a few changes for the local flavour and added a few current issues,” reveals Sripriya. A highlight in the movie, according to her, is a line that she has included from one of Mahakavi Bharathiyar’s poems. The adept director is planning to complete the film in 39 days, as against the 50 days planned originally.
So will she return to acting soon? “Not really. After the shoot I will be heading to the UK with my daughter. I plan to direct one film a year,” she says.