Director Vinod Mankara’s ‘Karayilekku Oru Kadal Dooram’ stands out from the typical commercial flicks and the quintessential art house films for more reasons than one.
Besides the novelty of treatment and a fresh story line, the element of magical realism - a theme that has not been all that reverently treated after Padmarajan’s ‘Njaan Gandharvan’ - takes viewers on illusionary and realistic journeys with Anoop Chandran, the hero played by Indrajith.
Expresso caught up with Mamta Mohandas, Dhanya Mary Varghese, Lakshmi Sharma and Sarayu, the four women who play pivotal roles in the life of the novelist protagonist with extra sensory perceptions.
A different chemistry
Mamta Mohandas’ Gadha visualizes love and friendship at a level much different from what the rest of her tribe does. “A lot of emotions in the film are delivered through the dancer, Gadha,” Mamta says. As the friend of the protagonist who is unhappy in his marriage, Gadha gives him a vibrant companionship, being appreciative of even small things and helping him search for his long lost love.
“Ours is a matured, platonic relation. For the husband who prefers to keep away from home because of a wife who fails to appreciate his artistic inclinations, who always complains about how little time he spends with her, Gadha is a solace,” she says.
Mamta, who was diagnosed to be suffering from a rare type of cancer named Hodgkin’s lymphoma, is back in tinseltown after beating the disease with sheer grit and loads of positive thought. “Yes, I’m back to where I belong after health setbacks. Everything is back to normal; there are just the follow-ups now,” says the actor whose next release is ‘Race’ in which she stars with Kunchacko Boban and Indrajith.
“I’ve also been signed on for a Tamil film with Bharat, the shooting of which will commence in August. Besides, there are good Malayalam films in the offing.”
The complaining wife
Sarayu’s character might remind you of someone whom you are very familiar with. A wife who fails to recognize and applaud her novelist husband’s talent and kills his peace with complaints about not having time for her, she does not realise that her complaints spur him to keep away from her all the more.
“While I played Indrajith’s sister in our last release together, ‘Chekavar,’ in ‘Karayilekku Oru Kadal Dooram,’ I play his ignorant wife,” says Sarayu, who debuted as a heroine in ‘Kappalmuthalali’.
“I was told that my character was one among the four female characters. When I was convinced about the importance of my role, I decided to be part of the film. I’ve never yearned to be the heroine of every film I work in. The importance of the character I play and the dimensions I can give it matter more,” Sarayu says.
In her kitty are Viji Thampy’s ‘Nadakame Ulakam’ in which she plays Mukesh’s heroine and ‘Janapriyan’ with Jayasurya. “Except for the recently released ‘Four Friends’ in which I play a character with a negative shade, I’ve played only the typical Malayali village belle roles. I’m looking forward to breaking that image and doing challenging roles.”
Sathyabhama’s trail
It was natural that Sathyabhama, the student who put forth brave thoughts through her poems, conquered the protagonist’s heart when he was a college-goer. “Sathyabhama appears in three different stages in the film - one, as the hero’s college friend who shares his passion for literature, two, as his lover and three, as an aged and lonely woman in his novel,” says Dhanya Mary Varghese, who etched the character on screen.
“Their relationship matures with time. The suspense that unfurls towards the end has much to do with my role.”
Dhanya, who entered tinseltown with ‘Thirudi,’ rose to fame with her role in ‘Thalappavu.’ Sathyabhama in ‘Karayilekku Oru Kadal Dooram’ is as bold as Saramma in ‘Thalappavu,’ she says. “As a character who decides the course of the hero’s life in crucial stages, Sathyabhama offered me many challenges and opened up new vistas to perform.”
Her upcoming projects include a Tamil and Kannada flick.
Leading light
Lakshmi Sarma plays the illusionary character Bhagavathy in the film, lifting the hero’s sunken spirit and lending a helping hand when he is lost and forlorn. “While at one level I share a mother-son relation with Anoop Chandran, at another stage, I become his muse. My role does not run throughout the film but it matters a lot in the crux of the film,” says Lakshmi, who is now shooting for ‘Priyapetta Naatukaare’ with Kalabhavan Mani.
The Chennai-based actor says that she did not try her luck in Kollywood because of ‘weighty’ issues. “And I didn’t want to lose weight for glamorous roles in Tamil and spoil my chances in Malayalam, which offers me characters with good scope for performance.”
Her upcoming projects include ‘Veendum Kannur’ and ‘Film Festival’.
"In ‘Film Festival,’ I appear in 10 different looks - among them, as actors Sarada, Seema, Khushboo and P Saroja - in a song sequence.”
