In the ‘news’ in Kolkata
SANGEETA
|
Meera Jasmine’s talent has won her interesting roles in Malayalam and Tamil.
|
I take everything to heart, and act from my heart.
consummate actor: Meera Jasmine breathes life into her characters.
Clouds set in the evening sky as film director Blessy packs up after a hard day’s shoot on the sets of ‘Calcutta News.’
“It has been a long day,” says a tired Meera Jasmine who plays a pivotal role in the film with Dilip.
She is about to leave when an assistant hands an ipod that she had left behind on the sets. She checks it to find that a song is still playing. Her face lights up and her mood lifts.
“It is a song from ‘Ore Kadal,’ my Onam release – a wonderful, humane, film,” remarks Meera.
Enthused and refreshed, she is all game for an interview.
A complex character
“My character is a complex person; I could not internalise her completely, primarily because I was haunted by a sense of righteousness. Throughout the shooting of the film, I was thinking and reassessing her predicament.
“The morality aspect was confusing. I could understand her passion and angst. And one cannot dismiss her just because one feels she has erred. Her feelings, pride and dignity are not less than any one else’s,” says the actor.
“I was terribly affected by her agony. It happens with me all the time – film after film. I get entangled with my characters. But then, you cannot bring in emotional candour unless you are involved.
“My peers tell me that I am hypersensitive. But it is the same compassion that makes me what I am. I take everything to heart, and act from my heart,” she says in an introspective mood.
She adds: “I have been through terrible situations in life. There was pain, betrayal, loneliness..., and having experienced all this by myself, how can I be insensitive to others? I cannot just detach my emotional self from my professional self, and shut my mind while working.
“I also believe that references from life should be used for creative growth. In fact, my grief is transformed to the performances on screen.”
Meera entered films during an era that was sadly lacking in lustrous female actors. “I think the late Seventies and Eighties were the time for heroines. It is difficult to get to play such natural yet extraordinary characters these days,” complains the actor who is fortunate enough to have worked with the cream of regional cinema in the past six years.
“By God’s grace, I have got the best of offers, both in terms of money and artistic value. I gratefully acknowledge the fact that I have been approached for several crucial roles, in all the languages I have worked in.”
Next season
From the offers that pour in, Meera has chosen to work in ‘Nepali’ in Tamil, ‘Yamagola’ in Telugu and ‘Calcutta News’ in Malayalam for the next season.
“ I am hopeful about Blessy ‘Chachan’s film. If it works out the way the director envisages it, ‘Calcutta News’ is going to be one of the best roles in my career.’
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Friday Review
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
