Prachi Tehlan, better known as a netball and basketball player, was first seen on screen in the teleserial ‘Diya Aur Baati Hum. She has now acted in Malayalam big-budget film ‘Mamangam’, opposite Mammootty, and believes that she couldn’t have asked for a bigger break.
The film has also been released in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi versions.
In a candid chat with Metrolife, the actress talks about her role, acting with Mammootty and her journey so far.
What convinced you to work in the film?
When I heard that Unnimaya (my character) was a dancer and a warrior and that a lot of established heroines had been approached for the role, it got me excited. My role represents the strong women of Kerala and it needed someone of my built. Everything just fell in place.
Your character does fight sequences in the film. Was it challenging?
It is not easy to make a film like Mamangam. Unnimaya delivers strong lines and intense scenes. I have some fight sequences in the film and the crew trusted my sports background would help me with them.
Playing sports is different from doing scenes with a sword in the hand and fighting, jumping and doing stunts.
Being a debutante, I took it as a challenge. I even got injured during the shooting. I have a scar on my right foot which I call the ‘Mamangam scar’. It happened when I was tied with a harness and had to do a somersault in the air.
What is unique about Mamangam?
People who are comparing the film to ‘Baahubali’ should understand that Mamangam is non-fictional and is based on true stories and incidents. It is based on a festival that happened in the 18th century.
The film has barely used visual effects in about 20 per cent of its scenes, while in Baahubali, more than 50 per cent of the scenes used VFX.
How was it to act with Mammootty?
Most people might say that this is a PR stunt but it is not: I am a true Mammukka (Mammootty) fan. I did not become an overnight fan of his, I did not grow up on his films but in the last two years, I have grown to be a true fan of his.
He is a great human being. We have travelled and worked together. He is one of the rare megastars who is alright working with new actors, directors and producers.
I used to have several questions and would ask him about his journey. He has appeared in more than 400 movies in the past 48 years.
Have you watched any of Mammootty’s films? Which are your favourites?
While I was preparing for the film, I watched his period films ‘Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha’ and ‘Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja’. I also watched ‘Madhura Raja’.
My favourites are ‘YSR’ and ‘Perambu’. In YSR, that’s exactly how the actor is: a man of few words and ethics. His acting was outstanding in ‘Peranbu’.
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