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In charge of making actors `Malayalis'

Tutoring an actor to speak an alien language is a hard but rewarding job, AMBIKA RAO tells SHILPA NAIR ANAND

PHOTO: VIPIN CHANDRAN

BEHIND THE SCENES Ambika Rao makes non-Malayali actors very Malayali-like

At the outset of her chat Ambika Rao makes it clear that what she does is nothing great. That people have been `coaching' non-Malayali actors for ages. "Look at veteran actors such as Sarada and Kanakadurga, they are non-Malayalis but look at how well they have essayed their roles," says Ambika.

Guiding force

And no, `coaching' in this context is not teaching acting but guiding a non-Malayali actor through what may seem mundane but what is actually as important as acting itself - dialogue delivery. The `coach' (the label Ambika has chosen for herself) or assistant director (as the rest of the film fraternity sees it) guides or rather helps the actor with the language, dialogue delivery, and even the body language."For instance," says Ambika, "we Malayalis have this tendency of shaking our heads while talking, a mannerism exclusive to us. So, it is not just dialogue delivery but also nuances such as gestures that I have to help the actors with."

Projects

Some of the projects that Ambika has been a part of as `coach' are `Vellinakshatram', `Thommanum Makkalum', `Police', `Rajamanickam', `Bus Conductor', `Pothan Bawa', and `Krityam'. She is currently involved with `Big B.' Usha Uthup, Padma Priya, Nafisa Ali, Pavithra, Sachin Khedekar and Chaya Singh are just some of the actors Ambika has worked with, or rather worked on.

She stumbled on to this profession - a family friend asked her to help with the accounts for a serial, `Yatra'. "It was as if, like a fish I had been put into water. I found what I wanted to do. I was uncomfortable with the whole idea of a 9 to 5 job," says Ambika. Her break, or rather first creative break came when Balachandra Menon hired her as assistant director. "At the time I did not realise that it was a big deal, getting a break with Balachandran Sir. I am grateful to him for that." Ambika has come a long way since then.

So what does her job entail?

Ambika teaches actors to lip-sync dialogues (as close to Malayalam as possible) and get the gestures as close to the way Malayalis gesticulate. "I sit with the actor and rehearse the dialogues with the artist. I have to explain the scene, and if an actor rehearses a scene a thousand times, I have to read out the dialogue at least two thousand times.

My work looks like it is a cakewalk but it entails a lot of hard work. There have been days when I have worked with actresses till 4 am. ," she says. Ambika has to improvise on her technique of teaching actors - splitting words, prompting (so that lip movements get as close to Malayalam as possible)."

Changing profile

Dubbing artistes tell Ambika their jobs have become easier now. Of late, she says, her profile is changing. "I am more of a celebrity manager and co-ordinator. Because I also see my job as making the artiste feel comfortable, for instance, if she is uncomfortable with her hairstyle there is no way she is going to be comfortable acting and then no amount of coaching is going to help. In fact Padmapriya said `you understand the psychological problem that I am facing,'" says Ambika.

Humour in it

Coaching does come with its share of humour. When Ambika met Taruni, the child artiste in `Vellinakshatram' for her next Malayalam film and asked her if she remembered the dialogues from her first film, the little girl shook her head profusely and out came "poda patti!"

For Ambika her job is not only about teaching but also about learning. "I learn a lot from the artistes that I train. Usha (Uthup) chechi taught me a lot about being professional and patient," she says.

"I once overheard Mammooty tell someone, `If you entrust the actress to Rao, I don't know what she does or how, but your actress will speak fluent Malayalam.' And that for me is a compliment."

Although coaching is a very important part of acting and filmmaking, it largely goes unnoticed, sometimes the title credits give it a miss.

But Ambika is not cribbing. "In which other profession would I have been able to work with such great talents," asks a contented Ambika.

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