It was an anxious experience: Kalyani Priyadarshan on working with father Priyadarshan

Actor Kalyani Priyadarshan, one of the popular young stars in the film industry, says that her father noted filmmaker Priyadarshan felt nervous while directing her in the Malayalam magnum opus Marakkar. Speaking to DH, she adds that it was an ‘anxious’ experience for them as she too was ‘extra nervous’ on the sets.

The Hello star also opened up about being part of the Sudha Kongara-helmed short film Ilamai Idho Idho, which is a part of the Amazon Prime Video-backed anthology Putham Pudhu Kaalai, and said that the project had a ‘student film’ vibe.

Edited excerpts from the interview:

What encouraged you to give the nod to Putham Pudhu Kaalai?

To begin with, it came to me through Sudha (Kongara) madam. She is on the dream list (wishlist) of many actors and I was thrilled to be working with her so early in my career. Secondly, Amazon said that we would shoot this under lockdown regulations. There was no art department and the project had a major student film vibe.

Lastly, I have always felt that you cannot say much in a 25-minute short film but this one managed to do so.

Were you hesitant about entering the webspace?

This space is the most reachable to the public today. Anyone who has the internet can watch your films. There are no borders because of subtitles. All in all, there is no language barrier.

Are you open to acting in films made in languages that you are not familiar with?

I feel that your best performance comes when you have command over the language. The language barrier works differently for an actor and the audience.

What is your take on the theatre vs OTT debate?

The webspace will co-exist with theatres. You can’t have a theatre feel in the OTT space. Similarly, a theatre is not as accessible as OTT. In some ways, the cinema will become bigger because of the OTT movement.

You worked in the art department before entering films. To what extent, did that experience come in handy when you made your debut?

I worked in the art department and interned with Sabu (Cyril) sir for Krrish 3. Acting and art direction are two different jobs even though they come under the umbrella of the cinema.

How was the experience of working with Priyadarshan in Marakkar?

There is a dialogue in Munna Bhai MBBS where a character says that doctors get nervous while operating on their kids. It is the same thing here. For the first, my father got nervous when he was directing me in Marakkar. I was extra nervous when he was directing me. It was an anxious experience for us.

How do you deal with failure?

As I come from the film industry, I have seen plenty of ups and downs through my father. I know it is possible to come up after you have gone down. As I grew up with a father like, I saw the good and bad side of this industry.