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Ameena and Meenakshi are two diametrically opposite characters

New look Shwetha Menon and Mohanlal in ‘Rock N Roll’

But now Shwetha Menon is back and how? Her roles in ‘Paradeshi’ and ‘Rock n Roll’ have put her back in the reckoning if the directors’ confidence in her is anything to go by.

The actor who donned the greasepaint at the age of 14 talks about her comeback in her husky voice that comfortably alternates between English and Malayalam. Excerpts from an interview:

I was unable to get the kind of roles I wanted. I was doing a lot of bimbo roles and after a point of time, it was not enough. Something was missing. That was when I was offered the role of ‘Ameena’ in P.T. Kunhimohammed’s ‘Paradeshi’ and a role in K.P. Kumaran’s ‘Akashagopuram.’ After that came the character of Meenakshi in Ranjith’s ‘Rock n Roll.’ Ameena and Meenakshi are two diametrically opposite characters. While Ameena is this strong wife and mother who is always dressed in a thatta, mundu and long-sleeved blouse, my character in ‘Rock n Roll,’ Meenakshi, is a tomboy. So, in every way, I had to acclimatize myself to those roles. My spiritual guru is Gul Saheb and I had learnt a lot from him about the Muslim culture.

It is the role of a lifetime. Ameena, Valiyakkathu Moosa’s wife, is his mediator and his only link with a not very friendly world outside. As I hail from Kozhikode I have seen and talked to a lot of Ameenas. So it was not difficult to visualise the character or speak her dialogues. I age by 50 years during the course of the film. To get in to the skin of the character I stopped wearing Western clothes for more than two weeks. I had to walk with a stoop to portray the elderly Ameena.

But I think the efforts have paid off. Siddique, Jagathy Sreekumar and the others failed to recognize me when I walked past them as Ameena and wished them ‘Salam Aleikum.’ They were completely taken in by my attire and posture. Similarly, when P.T. Sir’s [P.T. Kunhimohammed] relatives dropped by, they said I reminded them of an ‘Umma’ in their family. That was praise indeed. Then, I had superb co-actors who helped me at every stage of the shoot. On the last day of the shoot, I felt strange when I slipped into my jeans.

She is a fun-loving tomboy. In ‘Paradeshi’ I have children and grandchildren. But in Ranjith’s film I am cast as a musician who hangs out with Laletan’s [Mohanlal] character.

I made my debut in Malayalam with Jomon’s ‘Anaswaram.’ Mammootty was the hero of the film. As I was just 14, the entire film was like a lark. Then I acted in ‘Nakshatrakoodaram,’ ‘Welcome to Kodaikanal’ and ‘Koushalam,’ before leaving for Mumbai. I left Kozhikode in 1994 to participate in competitions. Then I was selected Miss India Asia Pacific. And films were relegated to the background for a while.

A peppy dance in ‘Ishq’ with Aamir Khan and Ajay Devgan, was my debut in Bollywood. Indra Kumar, director of `Ishq,’ approached me after he saw my photographs in a magazine. ‘Humko Tumse Pyar Hain’ went on to become a super hit of the season. I will be working with Sikander Kher and Gul Panag soon. But my priorities are different. The roles will have to challenge the actor in me. It should be more than just glamour and dance and song routines.

Ameena and Meenakshi are two diametrically opposite characters

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