At home in Kerala
SHOBA NAIR
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Sree Vidya has made it big on television with a few unforgettable roles in popular mega serials.
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It needs immense skill and an intelligent author to write a good comedy. Sree Vidya
Photo: C. Ratheesh Kumar
SREE VIDYA: `Observation is the keynote of an artist.'
The tranquillity that envelopes Sree Vidya's cozy new house in Thiruvananthapuram seems to be a reflection of her serene and pious nature.
"My companionship, right from my childhood, with the Travancore sisters (Lalitha, Padmini and Ragini), who were our neighbours at Edward Elliot's Road in Chennai has given a Malayali colouring to my way of life. And it helped me a lot to handle the roles in Malayalam films," she says.
Wide repertoire
The proof of this is the wide range of roles that she has portrayed on the small and big screen in Malayalam. Danseuse and actor Sree Vidya has always played the role of the Malayali homemaker to perfection.
Even her latest role as Annamachi in the popular serial `Omanathingal Pakshi' shows her as an able matriarch of a Christian family. "I had once been married into a Christian family and had a lot of opportunities to interact with such women.
"Observation is the keynote of an artist. Irrespective of the place or time, this practice continues and will go on so long as a person remains an actor. For instance, even the body language of a common action like prayer varies. Differences can be observed in individuals, class, religion and region."
Daughter of the eminent Carnatic singer, the late M. L. Vasanthakumari and Vigadan Krishnamurthy, who was an actor in the Forties, Sree Vidya staged her first dance performance at the age of six. She made her debut as a teenager in a dance sequence in the Tamil film `Thiruvarulchelvar' and then she appeared in dance scenes in a few films. Her first film as a heroine was in the film `Delhi to Madras,' opposite Jayashankar. She went on to act in many films, including Telugu and Kannada.
"I carefully observed Nargis and Padmini at work in AVM Studio and that helped me to do well in `Jaise Ho Taise' and in a Hrishikesh Mukherjee film in which I acted with Vinod Mehra," she recalls.
She got her break in Malayalam films after film director Subramaniam met her in Padmini's house. She appeared in a dance in his movie `Ambala Pravu.' In `Chattambikavala,' Sree Vidya was cast as the heroine opposite Sathyan.
Discussing her role in `Apoorva Ragangal,' she says, "At the age of 22, I did the role of a 45-year-old in Balachander's `Apoorva Ragangal.' The hero was Kamalahasan. Many people had warned me that I would be typecast in elderly roles."
However, Sree Vidya saw to it that she was not forced to repeat herself in film after film. She went on to enact a wide range of roles that also included many mythological characters like that of Mahalakshmy, Parvathy and Kali (Telugu). Her expressive eyes and classic features made her the favourite of filmmakers who specialised in mythological films. Her roles as Pandalam Rajni in `Sree Ayyappan' and Chottanikkara Amma were widely appreciated. This talented actor won the State award in 1979.
Sree Vidya was at the peak of her career in the late Seventies and early Eighties, when she essayed many unforgettable roles in films like `Edavazhiyile Poocha Mindapoocha,' `Jeevitham Oru Ganam,' `Venalil Oru Mazha,' `Adaminte Vaariyellui,' `Poomukhappadiyil Ninneyum Kathu,' `Kaatathekillikoodu' and so on. "I had acted as girl friend, wife, mother-in-law and mother to Mammooty, in movies that were huge box office successes," she recounts.
Changing mediums
However, the advent of television channels saw her shifting to the small screen. Sree Vidya made her presence felt in K.K. Rajeev's `Venal Mazha,' `Swapnam,' `Avicharitham' and also in `Vasundhara Medicals.' But with too many channels on a competitive spree, she feels that quality has suffered.
"We need a good dialogue writer and a lot of improvement has to be made in visual quality and in the approach to stories. Socially relevant causes should be taken up to create awareness in viewers, especially among not-so-literate female viewers. Young artistes should be encouraged instead of being left in the lurch half way through."
Ingrained with a deep sense of humour, she says that she would love to do subtle comic roles, as in the movie `Arante Mulla Kochu Mulla.'
"These days comedy is mistaken for cheap mockery of human failings and features. It needs immense skill and an intelligent author to write a good comedy," she says with a smile.
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