Akshara Haasan on Achcham Madam Naanam Payirppu: ‘Hope it opens doors to more films on sex education’

Akshara Haasan’s Tamil film Achcham Madam Naanam Payirppu released directly on Amazon Prime Video on Friday. Directed by debutant filmmaker Raja Ramamurthy, the film talks about the sexual exploration of a young woman who wishes to have sex with her boyfriend but has her own reservations about it. Akshara feels that the film, which openly discusses sex, intimacy, and female desire with a lot of sensitivity and likable humor, opens doors to more stories on sex education. Also Read| Achcham Madam Naanam Payirppu review: Akshara Haasan’s film is a refreshing comedy on sexual exploration

In an exclusive chat with Hindustan Times, Akshara opened up about what drew her to the project. Akshara said: “I really liked the innocence of the subject. As much as the film talks about sexual exploration and desire, there’s so much sensitivity in the treatment. The experiences that my character goes through are very relatable. We’ve all gone through it in our own way. Also, I loved the conviction and vision of my director to tell this story and make this film.”

In the film, Akshara plays a character called Pavithra, who lives life on her mother’s terms. Unable to take the pressure of her parents and her mundane life, Pavithra decides to Have sex with her boyfriend and she discusses the idea with two of her best friends. Akshara is hopeful that her film opens doors to more films that discuss topics like sexuality catering to young adult audiences. “I’m hoping more films come in this space. We made this film with the point of making a good film. If that intention encourages more filmmakers to take up such stories, we’d be happy.”

The film was long completed before the pandemic and Akshara admits it’s been a long wait to see its release. Asked if the long wait to see her work get out left her disappointed, Akshara said: “From the get go, I was positive about the project and its release. But during the pandemic, I think all of us reached a point where we were all low. It was very stressful for everybody. I was never disappointed about the long wait but I was low as the release didn’t go as planned.”

Akshara made her acting debut in 2015 with Amitabh Bachchan and Dhanush starrer Shamitabh. Since then, she’s only starred in two more films and a web series. She admitted that it’s a conscious decision to wait out and sign projects that really excites her. “I didn’t want to do something that doesn’t showcase my work best even though I’m grateful to people who think of me in their projects. I really need to connect to a character 100 percent before I sign; otherwise I’d be pulling down the hard work of so many people when the film doesn’t work. In a way, this is a strategy.”

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