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Destination tinsel town

Photos: S. Mahinsha

Kanichoodu, an idyllic hamlet in the interiors of Thiruvananthapuram district, is hardly the place you would expect to find a film star. This laidback place, a few miles off the M.C. Road, is home to Priyanka (or ‘Veyil’ Priyanka as she is popularly known), the heroine of critically acclaimed films such as ‘Veyil’ in Tamil and ‘Bhoomi Malayalam’ and ‘Vilapangalkkapuram’ in Malayalam.

Each time we stop and ask for directions to her place, local residents puff up with pride and apart from the task at hand they inevitably give us a mini-biography of the actor plus recommendations to listen to ‘Uruguthey maruguthey…,’ her chartbuster from ‘Veyil.’

“Nammude nadi Priyankayude veedo?” (Our own star Priyanka’s home?), they say. Notice the endearment. Such is the affection the people of Kanichoodu have for the home-grown actor who is going places in South Indian cinema.

“The affection is mutual,” says Priyanka. “I am a country girl at heart. This is where I grew up; my haven. These are my people who have known me from the time I used to run through the paddy fields in pig-tails. I am more comfortable here among them than amid the hustle and bustle of the city,” adds the actor who is more familiar to Malayali audiences as an actor in popular serials such as ‘Thaarattu,’ ‘Sthreejanmam,’ ‘Oomakkuyil’ and ‘Megham.’

For Priyanka, acting in serials was just “time pass” while studying for Plus Two and B.Sc. Physics at Mar Ivanios College. “It was never my intention to go into films. I wanted to be a lecturer. When Azhagappan Sir (cinematographer) called me to do ‘Veyil’ I was in two minds. I pondered about it for a while before accepting the role. Now that I am in the field, I love it. I cannot imagine doing anything else,” says Priyanka whose latest film in Malayalam ‘Samasthakeralam P.O.,’ in which she stars opposite Jayaram, will soon hit theatres. The actor dons the role of Radha, a woman “who has an identity for herself and who every woman wistfully aspires to be.”

Apart from ‘Kichamani M.B.A’ her largely forgettable debut in Malayalam, most of Priyanka’s roles thus far have not only tested her skills as an actor but her physical endurance as well. In ‘Veyil,’ her sterling Tamil debut which went to the Cannes film festival, she enacted Thangam, a girl who was forced to commit suicide to save the life of her beloved. Priyanka had to learn cycling for this one. A former N.C.C cadet, Priyanka’s athletic prowess was put on line for T.V. Chandran’s ‘Bhoomi Malayalam’ when she essayed the role of a long-jumper. She fractured her arm for this one.

In the soon-to-be-released Tamil film ‘Vanam Partha Seemayil,’ she is a shepherdess and in ‘Vilapangalkkapuram’ she is Zahira, a traumatised victim of the 2002 Gujarat riots who rises like a phoenix to become a crusader for others like herself.

“What is the point of acting if you cannot express your creativity? Each time an offer comes up I ask myself what is the challenge in it for me,” says the 23-year-old actor who grew up idolising characters essayed by the likes of Suhasini, Revathy, Urvashi and Shobana.

“Sarita, I think, is exceptionally talented. The best thing about Sarita and the others is the flexibility of their acting. Serious, demure, over the top, fun, crazy…they have done it all. They are role models for young actors like me. And that’s not only because they are talented but because they are genuinely nice human beings,” adds Priyanka.

On a roll Priyanka; (from top) stills from her films ‘Veyil,’ ‘Vilapangalkkapuram,’ ‘Samasthakeralam P.O.’ and ‘Bhoomi Malayalam’

An avid reader of Osho and M.T. Vasudevan Nair, Priyanka wants to act in totally “over the top” big budget films and in alternative ventures at the same time.

Next it’s on to the big leagues for Priyanka. She is all set to star with Mohanlal in ‘Casanova,’ director Roshan Andrew’s big-budget venture, a part of which will be shot in Vienna, Austria. Looks like the country roads do lead to the highways of stardom.

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