THRISSUR: “Gender disparity exists in cinema as in all fields in the country. It’s time we shifted our focus from paying actors based on gender to fixing the payment based on their seniority in the industry,” said Aparna Balamurali, winner of the best actress national award at a ‘meet the press’ programme at Thrissur Press Club on Thursday.
Hailing from Thrissur, Aparna took her first steps into the big screen from the cultural stages in the district through dance and singing performances. “I am happy to be a guest in my hometown and sharing this moment with you all,” she said. with a graceful smile.
Aparna said, “The effort the entire team put into Soorarai Potru, especially director Sudha mam, was beyond words and the award was a recognition for the hardwork. She supported me in each step. Special training was arranged to understand the language, lifestyle, etc, and become the character of Bommi,” she said.
Responding to the questions regarding bitter experiences faced by some of the actresses in Malayalam movie industry, Aparna said though she had heard about such matters from her friends and colleagues, she luckily hadn’t undergone any such experience.
“Thankfully, all people who have worked with me on the sets have behaved well and respected my space,” she said. To a query regarding gender disparity, Aparna said she herself was wonder struck when she heard the salary demanded by a male artist who had the same work experience in the field as her. With a handful of movies in line, Aparna said the national award wouldn’t be affecting her choice of films and would go ahead with already committed projects.