In search of the perfect role
Shilpa Nair Anand
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Cuckoo Parameswaran plans to direct a film but only on her own terms.
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More than movies, television programmes require censorship Cuckoo
Photo: H.Vibhu.
MULTIFACETED: Cuckoo Parameswaran
She has been tagged an `intellectual' actor. And this is what she has to say in defence, "I am not an intellectual. I am just a thinking person, a thinking actor." This is Cuckoo Parameswaran for you.
For an actress who has been touted as talented, Cuckoo is conspicuous by her absence from the field. But she clarifies, "I am not taking a break from acting. I have not gone anywhere. I am very much here." Last year she acted in the dramatic adaptation of Arundhati Roy's `God of Small Things,' `Kochu Swapnangalude Thampuran.'
Stage and film appearances may have reduced but she anchors two television shows, `Cinema Vicharana' on Amritha Television and `Sunday Spice' on Indiavision. But, she makes it clear thatacting in serials will be put on the hold . Cuckoo has been noticed and appreciated for the way she presents Indiavision's `Sunday Spice.' She was initially apprehensive about doing television but that was only until she realised the potential of the medium. Television, according to her, will emerge as a powerful medium. " As far as her shows go, they are both different . `Cinema Vicharana' is a film-based interactive show, where the audience comprises of filmgoers and technicians involved in the making of a particular film. A professed lover of cinema, Cuckoo says, "The audience needs to realise that once a film hits theatres, it belongs to them. They should have a say on what they like. Why is the audience in Kerala complacent?"
Her impatience with complacency is not just limited to film audiences, she is rather vehement about the need for censorship for television programmes. "More than movies, television programmes requires censorship. The programmes on television leave a lot to be desired. There ought to be quality in programme content. Where cinema is concerned at least there is choice, you can leave the theatre if you do not like the film. Channel heads really need to do a rethink on the programmes that are being aired. Tele serials have to be a bit more aesthetically done."
She plans to direct a film sometime soon. She confesses that rather than the actor it is the director in her that is frustrated. "As and when I make a film, the protagonist will be a woman. A woman's feelings are the only ones I know." Getting a producer to back a first-time filmmaker who is also a woman would be an uphill task she maintains. "Take any of the female actors/directors making films, be it Revathy or Suhasini... chances are they have put their own money in the making of the film. No producer is willing to back a woman director, but if it is a man he will get all the backing he needs. But the moment a woman director `proves' herself things get easier."
She goes on to say that there are no inspiring roles . Some of the characters she would like to portray are Brecht's Mother Courage, Jocasta in Oedipus Rex and Lady Macbeth. "These are not and cannot be uni-dimensional characters. These are women who have depth... there are real emotions of real women - anger, jealousy, pride, hatred, passion."
Although, this alumni of School of Drama has to her credit only a handful of Malayalam films, the list of directors on her CV reads like a list of who's who of Malayalam cinema be it Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Aravindan, Padmarajan, Shaji N. Karun or T.V. Chandran. She has also acted in the Merchant Ivory production `Cotton Mary.'
"I blossomed in confidence with theatre, particularly after our stint in London," she says. Cuckoo was part of the Tara Arts Group, an Asian theatre company based in the United Kingdom.
Costume designing
From acting and directing to costume designing. How did that happen? "I have always been interested in costume designing. At the School of Drama one is trained in all aspects of theatre. Costume, art, lighting, make up... Shyam (Shyamaprasad) knew that and he was confident about my work. So `Akale' happened. For me it is not about dressing up actors in pretty clothes. Costumes tell the audience almost everything about a character. It was hard work and a lot of research went into the costumes in `Akale,' but it was well worth it." Her plans for the future are as varied as what she has been doing. Her immediate plans include a two-day theatre workshop for women, where the nuances and intricacies of acting will be discussed. A dramatic adaptation of Paulo Coelho's `Veronica Decides To Die' is also on her list.
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