This Friday, the Kerala box office is witnessing a three-way battle between Manju Warrier, Bhavana and Meera Jasmine — three actors, who have had almost similar career trajectories. All three of them took long breaks at different points in their career, and yet the love and affection for them among the audience remained intact. It’s a testament to their rich body of work and the quality of their performances.
Meera, in her comeback phase, is still getting author-backed roles and shouldering projects on her own.
This week, she will be seen in Palum Pazhavum, a rom-com, in which she plays a 33-year-old who falls in love with a college-going guy through social media. It’s a quirky set up and Meera is more than excited about it.
As we catch up with her for a conversation about the film and her career in general, the actor lets her guards down to present her true, unfiltered self.
Excerpts:
It has been over two decades since your career started and you must’ve evolved a lot over these years. Is there a particular change you feel proud of?
I feel I’m able to perform with ease now. Maybe it’s because of my life experiences. I’m older and wiser now. Back then, I was a workaholic, busy doing films continuously. Right now, the focus is to enjoy and have a good time, even while committing myself completely to a project. I didn’t have this realisation and clarity before.
How has this new process influenced your script selection?
Earlier, the director’s name used to be a major factor. I worked with legends like Sathyan Anthikad, Kamal, Mani Ratnam, T V Chandran sir, Lohi (Lohithadas) uncle, etc. So, I’d just surrender myself to them and naturally, script selection was much easier. I was also choosing projects on my own, but now I have a team with whom I constantly discuss. Today, my decisions are not based on my judgements alone.
So a lot of contemplation must be happening before committing to every new project. What prompted you to take up Palum Pazhavum?
Yes, there’s a lot of thinking because I’m not sure what works today. Still, what impressed me about Palum Pazhavum was its content. More often than not, the stories that get pitched are interesting, but their screenplays won’t be engaging. But Ashish (Rajani Unnikrishnan) is a clever writer and after reading the full structure, we all felt it would be a clean entertainer. V K Prakash is also a long-time friend, who have always wanted to do a commercial film with me.
‘Some of my films took a huge toll on me’
Palum Pazhavum brings you back to comedy, a space you thrived in...
I think all our lives have become increasingly stressful and some laughs would help. While working on this film, we all used to laugh so much that it was like a destresser. In fact, every film heals you in some way and that’s the blessing of being an actor. As a person, we all have multiple shades, but we only let certain characteristics dominate. Our other shades come to the fore according to the situation. We all can be loving, caring, fierce and feisty, but not all at once. But people like actors, writers or painters get to explore all these emotions deeply through their creations. While acting, I delve deep into myself.
Does this in-depth approach have an emotional impact on you?
If I do something, I’ll do it wholeheartedly — which is both good and bad. Earlier, I used to take my characters and their emotional struggles very personally. Films like Paadam Onnu: Oru Vilapam (2003), Perumazhakkalam (2004) and Achuvinte Amma (2005) left me destroyed and often depressed. Even today, certain roles take a toll on me, but I’m more mature now and know how to manage it. There are a lot of tackling methods like mental and physical exercises that help me move on.
How were you able to switch moods while doing so many emotionally-charged roles on the trot?
It was incredibly hard as I often found myself unable to get to the next role. Right after Achuvinte Amma, I did a Telugu film called Bhadra (2005). Though it was a fun masala entertainer, I could not get out of my Achu zone for a few days. I felt like I was still Urvashi chechi’s daughter and my mind was stuck somewhere in Kozhikode — that house, and the song... It affected my health for over a week. Even now, such experiences bother me occasionally, but I don’t let it continue beyond a day.
So are you planning not to do such ‘heavy’ roles anymore?
Not really. I would still like to be part of all kinds of films. As that dialogue in Forrest Gump goes, ‘Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get next.’ So, I’m always looking forward to those little surprises. Recently, I did a Telugu film called Swag with Sree Vishnu. I play a dual role in it, one as an 18th-century princess, and the other as Revathy, a professor from the 80s. Revathy is an extremely layered character and her emotional journey was too much for me. On the last day of her portion, I lost it and started crying uncontrollably. It’s the same me who was having fun and laughing till that day. I think I was laughing so hard because inside I was going through Revathy’s pain.
Was this emotional exhaustion also one of the reasons for your break?
Yes, it was getting too overwhelming. I had hormonal issues and my health overall was affected. I was super saturated and couldn’t take it anymore. My brain wasn’t working and my body was not performing. I wasn’t focused and that’s when I realised the desperate need for a break. It was much needed as I got to explore and experience life. The period away helped me realise the importance of taking care of myself, both physically and mentally. Unlike before, my priority now is my health.
During your away time, were you still following the changing trends in cinema?
Truth be told, I wasn’t missing cinema. I rarely watched films in that period, except maybe Fahadh’s. He’s an outstanding performer. I think it was Fahadh who paved the way for many changes here. He showed an actor can do any range of characters, including negative shades. It was inspiring.
And when did you decide it’s time to come back?
It was just a gut feeling. The love for acting was back, which soon turned into a craving. When Sathyan uncle called me for Makal (2022), I didn’t plan it as a comeback or a grand reentry as many hyped it. Having worked with him for 4-5 films, Sathyan uncle is like family to me and I knew his film would ease me back into the process. After that, I started getting scripts regularly, but hardly anything interesting. It’s difficult for a female actor to get good scripts today. If you notice the trend lately, you can see that women aren’t even there in most films.
On the contrary, you balanced both serious and comic roles in your first innings. How did you evade being boxed?
I was quite conscious of it from the beginning. After my debut film Soothradharan (2001), I was jobless for almost 6-7 months as I waited for the right character. Then came the Tamil film Run (2002), a commercial entertainer on a completely different scale. Even when prominent directors approached me, I was particular about my character’s potential.
You’re now returning to Tamil cinema after a decade with Test...
Yes, it was a wonderful experience as it also had my favourite co-star Maddy, Siddharth and Nayanthara. It’s a different film set against the backdrop of cricket. Some of my portions in it had the format of a stage performance. It was a new style of acting as Siddharth and I wouldn’t know where the cameras were.
When a film demands such new styles, do you take preps?
I don’t prepare a lot unless the character demands an entirely new body language. I prefer being spontaneous. But right from the first narration, there will be mental preps happening in my head without my knowledge.
I believe acting is all about time and space. A performance is often enhanced by certain external factors, like say, good sunlight or a soft breeze. So, I think you can’t replicate the same performance in a different time and space.
I often ask people like Siddharth, who come from Kamal Haasan’s school, and VKP about ‘method acting’. I always assumed it’s a style where you study a character thoroughly, take preps and rehearsals, and employ new body language.
But during my interactions with them, I learnt that it’s nothing but naturally adapting your performance and emotions according to your surroundings. So, if time and space define a performance, then yes, I’m also a method actor. I may even be wrong here.