Becoming Lalitha

Express News Service

KOCHI: The simpleton mother Lalitha of the middle-class family portrayed in the film ‘Thinkalazhcha Nishchayam’ strikes a chord with many women in the state. It comes as a surprise to know that Ajisha Prabhakaran, who gave life to the role, is 20 years younger than Lalitha. The young actress shares more about her preparations for the role and more.

The film and her character received many praises when the movie was screened last year in IFFK. It also won the Kerala State Film Award for the best second film. However, for Ajisha it was a bittersweet period as many failed to recognise her in real life as she enacted a much older character.

”Everything was accidental. It was my husband and music director Arun Raj, who sent my photographs for the audition of the movie. My former professions as anchor and RJ helped me a lot with bagging the role,” says Ajisha. 

But she didn’t know that Lalitha will be one of the main pillars of the film. “We were not given the full script. The dialogues and situations were conveyed and filmed using sync sound only. Director Senna gave us space for improvisation. Which made us less camera conscious,” she adds. As a native of Kannur, the slang and language of the movie weren’t much of a challenge to her. 

“When I stood along with the crew after the screening many asked if I was in the film,” she quips. “This hurt me initially and I shared it with the director. He made me realise that those comments are the best feedback that an actor can receive,” she says. Ask her if she did some preparations for the makeover of Lalitha, Ajisha confirms, “Yes, I had a thyroid issue and used to take medicines for it. To give a plump look on my face and to have a double chin, I stopped my medication for weeks before the film. Also, I tried to behave in a more mature way than real to get into the character”.

Her co-star Manoj K U, who played the father Vijayan, who is also a theatre person helped her in many ways. “He is very experienced in the art. He was living like Vijayan in the shooting days of a total of 23 days. The climax was a balance of give and take. I was the one who had to provoke others for the famous fight,” quips Ajisha who has already received a few film acting projects.