Oru Kodai Murder Mystery is special for Abhirami for multiple reasons. The series, which marks her long-format narrative debut, also gave her an opportunity to play an author-backed role. The actor plays Anagalakshmi, a headmistress and mother of two grown-up boys.
“I have played good characters in the past. But, this character spoke to me a lot while essaying it. Anagalakshmi is closer to who I am in real life. She thinks exactly like me. I hit it off very well with writer Anitha when she narrated the script,” the actor says, adding that Anitha’s writing brought in a lot of nuances, “I genuinely felt it through the interactions between the characters and the way their psyche works. For instance, the way an adolescent boy thinks about his crush in OKMM isn’t stereotypical.
He is a nerd who uses quantum physics or Stephen Hawkings references to express himself. You need to be an intelligent writer to make such convincing references. Being a nerd myself I liked these little details. These were important for me to accept the project. The writer being a woman only made me feel extra proud.”
The actor also brims with positivity when the conversation navigates towards writing ageing female characters with substance. While gone are the days when women were only restricted to being young and dancing around the trees, Abhirami stresses on the importance of writing ageing women the right way. “It is an area of a woman’s life that has never been explored, or if so, very little so far. I think in the 80s, Balachander sir did a very good job of exploring a woman’s life without putting an age bracket. I think those roles are being resurrected now.”
The actor also feels that OTT has taken the factors like opening collection and audience pull away from the minds of the makers. “The fact that OTT is being explored more gives me hope. And on a very personal front, it is going to bring more work for me. I don’t have to settle for playing an anni, amma or akka. Even if I play one, like here, there is a lot of depth to this character.”
While it is a common trend for female stars to make a comeback playing the titular character, Abhirami had other ideas. “It is easier to make a comeback in a titular character because all eyes and spotlight are on the actor and she will eventually get a lot of mileage from that project. But I believe, when an actor is offered the non-titular character, the onus is entirely on them to prove their mettle. That’s an interesting challenge to face,” she shares.
Going forth, Abhirami wishes to do roles that present her unique challenges as a performer. Cautious not to be boxed into a category, she says, “I always don’t want to play a bold woman, because whenever somebody makes a comeback, it is given that they do such roles. I don’t mind playing a full-on comedy or villain role. It has to speak to me and keep me up all night thinking about it. I need not do 10 films a year, maybe 3-4 films that give me satisfaction is enough.”