Life doesn’t always give you second chances, but when you get one, you ought to make the best of it. Six years after her last Tamil appearance, Swaswika has now made a smashing comeback with the sports drama Lubber Pandhu, in which her performance has garnered unanimous appreciation. Elated with the film’s success, the actor is hopeful it will be the beginning of a flourishing second innings in Tamil.
“I’ve been getting calls from many whom I admire, including Pa Ranjith sir, Mari (Selvaraj) sir, Vetrimaaran sir, and Sudha (Kongara) ma’am. Ranjith sir spoke at length about the performance and that itself felt like winning an award,” says a thrilled Swaswika.
Lubber Pandhu stars Swaswika as Yasodhai, a middle-aged woman with a daughter in her early 20s. Admitting her initial hesitancy to take up the role, the actor says, “I was concerned about playing a character much older than my real age.
But director Tamizh assured me of my character’s potential.” The film introduces Yasodhai as a fierce woman, who goes on to plough a cricket pitch with a tractor right in-between a match. It’s an intro akin to a mass hero. “I was told about this scene during the first narration and learnt the basics of driving a tractor. But the one used in the film was an older model, so I practiced on the ground till noon and shot the scene after that. I was tense while performing, but the scene turned out to be a blast when I saw it in the theatres.”
Fed up with her cricket-fanatic husband’s (Dinesh) irresponsibility, we often see Yasodhai bitter and anxious. It’s easy for a character like that to be hated by the audience, but Swaswika credits Tamizharasan Pachamuthu’s writing for neatly justifying her actions. “Gethu and Yasodhai get married very young. She realises her husband’s carefree nature much later, but still, her love for him remains intact.
She might come across as a bitter woman, but none in the family hates her because she was initially supportive of Gethu. They know she has a genuine reason to be upset. Tamizh explained that the bitterness is only a mask that she wears before everyone.” Swaswika says she particularly enjoyed the mature take on the relationship between Gethu and Yasodhai, as she could see her parents in them. “After being together for so long, your love language doesn’t have to be very cutesy and expressive. Yasodhai also can’t get too playful with Gethu as he might continue with his waywardness.
So, the director wanted me to express Yasodhai’s feelings through minor glances and veiled smiles,” explains the actor, as she reveals her favourite scene. “When Yasodhai returns home after the fight, I was told that she shouldn’t break down or hug him tightly. She just gently consoles Gethu and sheds tears without him noticing. It’s beautifully written and shot.”
On her rapport with Dinesh, Swaswika says, “Since Dinesh sir is not a fan of rehearsals, we mostly performed spontaneously during the takes. We would perform each scene with multiple variations and the director would choose what he wanted.
That process helped me, as it conveyed a lot of Yasodhai’s anger through powerful stares.” Beyond cricketing action and family dynamics, Lubber Pandhu also has an added layer of caste politics. “Tamizh said caste is one of the many things he wants to talk about in this film.
It was not just to me, the briefing was the same even for Kaali (Venkat) annan and Bala (Saravanan) annan, who both are involved in the crucial exchange about casteism. The director didn’t want them to present that scene as something groundbreaking. This realistic approach prevailed throughout the film.”
Though offers have started knocking doors post-Lubber Pandhu, Swaswika is now cautious of the road ahead. “I’m aware of the possibility of stereotyping as some of the Tamil films offered are already in the rural drama space.
I’d rather wait for something different,” says the actor, who’s also aware of the strange silence in Kerala about Lubber Pandhu. Despite the film’s success in Tamil Nadu and the rave reviews for her performance, the talks haven’t really reflected in Kerala, feels Swaswika. “Apart from a few industry friends, not many seem to be aware of it. But I hope the response improves after the OTT release,” signs off the actor on a hopeful note.