Butta Bomma is a more colourful and vibrant version of Kappela: Anikha Surendran

Express News Service

After a decade’s worth of experience as a child actor in the Malayalam and Tamil film industries, eighteen-year-old Anikha Surendran is all set to make her debut as a heroine in the upcoming Telugu film Butta Bomma. In the official remake of the 2020 Malayalam romantic drama Kappela, Anikha will be seen reprising the role of Anna Ben, who played the lead in the original film. Surya Vashistta and Arjun Das also star in the film, as the romantic lead and the antagonist respectively. What motivated her to take this performance-heavy role, for her debut no less? “I have watched Kappela, and I believe this film offers me a great scope to perform, especially in the emotional scenes, so I agreed to act in Butta Bomma when the makers approached me”, says Anikha.

Kappela in Malayalam means a chapel, and the film is named after a key location the protagonist frequents. Sithara Entertainments’ Butta Bomma is a callback to the eponymous superhit song from Ala Vaikuntapuramulo, which was bankrolled by the same production house. About the changes in the remake that differentiate it from the original film, Anikha says, “My character’s name is Satya. Ramesh sir, the director, adapted the film in tune with the nativity of the Uttarandhra region, where the film is set in. The core of the original material is intact, but Butta Bomma, in true Telugu tradition, is  a more colourful and vibrant film.”

Speaking more about her working experience with the director and her co-actors, Anikha shares, “Ramesh sir is very particular about what he wants, he ensured that every minute detail of my body language and performance mirror that of Satya. Surya sir is patient and supportive and I bonded well with Arjun sir as well, given how neither of us speaks Telugu. He is a really sweet person.”

Anikha, who was last seen in the Nagarjuna starrer The Ghost will be debuting as a heroine across industries this year, with Oh My Darling in Malayalam and Hiphop Adhi’s PT Sir in Tamil. The transition from a child actor, playing the daughter of stars like Ajith and Nayanthara to being the protagonist of the film has been an eventful one for Anikha. Speaking on how she views her experiences on sets differently now, Anikha says, “While I don’t feel any changes acting-wise, I am more aware of the things that happen around the set. I like to look at the BTS videos and observe multiple departments at work. When I was a child, acting felt like a vacation. I got wonderful opportunities to work with major actors across industries and I am very proud of the journey I have had as a child actor.”

Working at an age when her peers are leading more regular lives studying and spending time with friends must be hard for the actor. When asked if she has any regrets, Anikha replies “This year specifically was pretty tough for me as all my friends started college and I took a gap year because I had too much work on my plate but what I do for a living is something most people don’t get to do, so I really try to look at the positive side of things. That said, I am lucky to have an incredible set of friends who support me, and who cheer me for every little win. With that kind of support from them, I feel alright”, Anikha signs off.

<br> After a decade’s worth of experience as a child actor in the Malayalam and Tamil film industries, eighteen-year-old Anikha Surendran is all set to make her debut as a heroine in the upcoming Telugu film Butta Bomma. In the official remake of the 2020 Malayalam romantic drama Kappela, Anikha will be seen reprising the role of Anna Ben, who played the lead in the original film. Surya Vashistta and Arjun Das also star in the film, as the romantic lead and the antagonist respectively. What motivated her to take this performance-heavy role, for her debut no less? “I have watched Kappela, and I believe this film offers me a great scope to perform, especially in the emotional scenes, so I agreed to act in Butta Bomma when the makers approached me”, says Anikha.

Kappela in Malayalam means a chapel, and the film is named after a key location the protagonist frequents. Sithara Entertainments’ Butta Bomma is a callback to the eponymous superhit song from Ala Vaikuntapuramulo, which was bankrolled by the same production house. About the changes in the remake that differentiate it from the original film, Anikha says, “My character’s name is Satya. Ramesh sir, the director, adapted the film in tune with the nativity of the Uttarandhra region, where the film is set in. The core of the original material is intact, but Butta Bomma, in true Telugu tradition, is  a more colourful and vibrant film.”

Speaking more about her working experience with the director and her co-actors, Anikha shares, “Ramesh sir is very particular about what he wants, he ensured that every minute detail of my body language and performance mirror that of Satya. Surya sir is patient and supportive and I bonded well with Arjun sir as well, given how neither of us speaks Telugu. He is a really sweet person.”

Anikha, who was last seen in the Nagarjuna starrer The Ghost will be debuting as a heroine across industries this year, with Oh My Darling in Malayalam and Hiphop Adhi’s PT Sir in Tamil. The transition from a child actor, playing the daughter of stars like Ajith and Nayanthara to being the protagonist of the film has been an eventful one for Anikha. Speaking on how she views her experiences on sets differently now, Anikha says, “While I don’t feel any changes acting-wise, I am more aware of the things that happen around the set. I like to look at the BTS videos and observe multiple departments at work. When I was a child, acting felt like a vacation. I got wonderful opportunities to work with major actors across industries and I am very proud of the journey I have had as a child actor.”

Working at an age when her peers are leading more regular lives studying and spending time with friends must be hard for the actor. When asked if she has any regrets, Anikha replies “This year specifically was pretty tough for me as all my friends started college and I took a gap year because I had too much work on my plate but what I do for a living is something most people don’t get to do, so I really try to look at the positive side of things. That said, I am lucky to have an incredible set of friends who support me, and who cheer me for every little win. With that kind of support from them, I feel alright”, Anikha signs off.