Actor Bhavana, who was last seen in Ajith's Aasal, is back to Tamil cinema after 15 years, with a horror film titled The Door. The upcoming film, slated for a March 28 release in theatres, marks the sophomore directorial of Bhavana's brother Jaiiddev, known for his debut film Pattinapakkam (2018), and is a production venture of her husband Naveen Rajan. In an exclusive conversation with CE, Bhavana says, “I do not want to claim it as my comeback to Tamil cinema. The Door is a film with a simple storyline, a small-budget horror. It was originally conceived as an OTT feature, but streaming services require a film to release in theatres before they can take it up. Initially, we planned to do it in Kannada, but then we proceeded with Tamil as it is a comfortable language for my brother and Naveen.”
Working with family tends to bring out a unique dynamic due to a greater sense of understanding. However, for Bhavana, working on The Door did not feel any different from acting in any other film. She says, “My brother is a calm and quiet person and is not a demanding director. He would narrate the scene to you just once and give you the space to perform. I feel many directors are like that nowadays.” While Bhavana has worked in a wide variety of film industries like Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, and Telugu, she does not feel that there is any major difference in the approach to filmmaking across industries. “I only felt like I had to act slightly over the top in Telugu cinema, but I also earned much appreciation for it,” says Bhavana.
The Door marks Bhavana’s second successive horror film; earlier, she played a key role in the Shaji Kailas directorial Hunt in Malayalam. Addressing her choices, she reveals, “I do not consciously choose films in the same genre. I like to do all types of characters regardless of the genre. For example, my next two films are in Malayalam and of totally different genres. One is an investigative thriller, where I play an intense character. The other is a fun-filled comedy film with Urvashi chechi and Sreenath Bhasi (Manjummel Boys).”
On her decade-long break from the Tamil film industry, the actor clarifies, “I had a manager back when I did many Tamil films, but we decided to split apart due to plenty of miscommunication and misunderstandings. After that, there were rumours in the industry that I was not interested in working in Tamil, and that I only wanted to focus on Malayalam. Some directors from Tamil told me that they did not know how to contact me. I only came to know about all of this after the fact. Nowadays, I get synopses from Tamil at least once a month. If good projects come my way, I would definitely do it.”
Having worked in films for more than two decades, Bhavana shares some of her learnings. “When you work with many senior directors and actors, you learn several things without realising it, such as punctuality, dialogue modulation, and how you shouldn't interfere while your character isn't the focus of the scene," says Bhavana. The actor then gets candid about her evolution over the years. "Early in my career, I used to deliver certain dialogues in a slightly dramatic way with a modulation different from my comfort zone, focusing too much on audience reaction. I lacked the courage to talk about it with my co-stars and directors because they were more experienced than me. However, today, I have that freedom to do it my way, because today’s films have more casual dialogues.”
While the actor acknowledges being conscious of audience reactions in her early years, she also reveals that she was unfazed while working with big stars. Bhavana believes that the side of her personality that is devoid of inhibitions, helped her become a better actor. Bhavana recounts, “There were times when I felt slightly nervous, such as while working with Mammootty in Chronic Bachelor (2003). However, on the set, everyone is an artist, and I only consider my character regardless of who I work with and that has brought out the best out of me.” She adds, “Perhaps, my talkative nature also works to my advantage. For example, while working on my first film (Nammal), I talked to Kamal sir without any inhibitions and without thinking about his stature as a director, which probably explains why he cast me in that role. I have always treated everyone equally.”