For someone who has never received any formal training in acting, Geetha Kailasam has made quite the mark with some unforgettable roles in Tamil cinema over the past few years. Probably best known for playing a hapless mother in the Arvind Swamy-directed episode, Roudhram: Raudra, in Netflix’s anthology series, Navarasa, created by Mani Ratnam, Geetha is also lauded for her acting in Natchathiram Nagargiradhu, Sarpatta Parambarai and more recently, in Lubber Pandhu and Amaran. However, it’s her compelling performance in independent filmmaker Vipin Radhakrishnam’s Angammal that’s making a buzz in the country’s festival circuit.
Inspired by Perumal Murugan’s short story, Kodithuni, Angammal is the story of an unflinching village matriarch who refuses to come to terms with modern civility that requires her to wear a blouse with saree. After premiering at the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2024, the movie is now headed to the 29th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), where it’s competing under the ‘Indian Cinema Now’ category. Meanwhile, Angammal is also selected for the National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC’s) ‘Film Bazaar Recommends’ list. An NjoyFilms presentation, Angammal also features Saran Sakthi, Bharani and Thendral Raghunathan in the lead, with music by Mohammed Maqbool Mansoor and cinematography by Anjoy Samuel.
In a freewheeling conversation with The Movie Mail, Geetha spoke about how she prepared for the role, whether or not she agrees with the choices that her character Angammal makes in the film, her future projects, and more. Excerpts:
Q. What was your first impression of this role and how tough was it for you to portray it?
A. Initially, I was a little hesitant to play the role. First, because I’m fairly new in the world of cinema. Second, I grew up in South India and am used to wearing sarees, but not without a blouse. So, it was a little difficult for me during the early days of shooting for the movie – both character-wise and in terms of costume. That said, I always wanted to become an actress and play various characters, so I wanted to overcome that discomfort as soon as I could. After doing a few workshops and training sessions, I got completely into the character and from then on there was no looking back.
Q. Riding a moped on the bumpy roads of the remote village probably wasn’t easy for you. Tell us about it…
A. It has a backstory. Earlier when women were starting to ride bikes in my state, I was one among them. But then for years, I didn’t touch my moped. So, when the requirement came up for the movie, I headed to a driving school, because I was too scared to ride a two-wheeler again without a bit of hand-holding. Who isn’t scared of falling! Just within 15-20 days of attending those classes, I could ride a bike again. It was an overwhelming feeling, reminiscent of my college days. I am very grateful to my instructor. She really helped me regain my confidence in riding a two-wheeler again. On the set, I did enjoy riding the moped, but not that the fear was all gone. The bit of apprehension that you see on screen while Angammal rides through the bumpy roads of the village is a natural response. I have put in everything to perfect the portrayal of Angammal. It’s all my love and passion for acting. That’s it.
Q. You also smoke a beedi in the film. How did you ace that?
A. Oh, smoking the beedi did require quite a bit of practice for me. The film’s producer and DOP, Anjoy Samuel, showed me how to get the palms of my hands together while lighting it using the matchbox. I don’t smoke at all in my personal life, so it took me some time to perfect that. For a month or so, I used to sit on my balcony every day and practise it. Same was the case with the slang words that I speak in the film. I am not used to that kind of language, so a lot of practice went into that too. In fact, I might have missed one or two in my dialogues. A lot of effort, time and money go into production, and it’s particularly difficult for independent filmmakers. So as actors, it’s our job to ensure that we keep learning and giving our best to every character we play.
Many people were also curious about my body language. They asked if I took any special classes to perfect that. The thing is that that’s how I am naturally, maybe I have a little ‘masculine demeanour’. Now, I have to do an urban, more ladylike role to test that.
Q. Anagammal seems to have been received well so far. How does it feel?
A. It feels too good. We honestly didn’t expect so much. So many people came and spoke to me after watching the film. I don’t know what inspiration they’ll take from it, but it’s nice to hear things like they ‘liked the film and my performance in it’, so much so that they ‘couldn’t take their eyes off me’ throughout the movie. Even while the film was at the editing table, many crew members used to tell me how much they liked me in the film. I am happy that whoever has watched the film so far has only good things to talk about. Portraying a memorable character is not enough for me. I want to be a part of good stories too. I want the overall film to do well.
Q. As a director, how was it to work with Vipin Radhakrishnan?
A. As a person, Vipin is quite unassuming and soft-spoken. During the initial days of filming, we did have a bit of a language problem, because he speaks Malayalam and I speak Tamil. Sudahar Das (a member of the film’s cast and crew), who’s basically from the place where we shot the movie, helped me in picking up the dialect and even the slangs. But overall, Vipin trusted me and gave me a lot of freedom on the set. That said, I am also a director’s actor. After a point, I just followed his vision. I have never essayed a character like this in the past. So, it was a little tough for me initially. In fact, it took me several takes to perfect the first dialogue scene. The montage scenes and long shots were easier to manage, but I struggled in the dialogue scenes during the early days of shooting. Eventually, things fell in place and everything went smoothly. Vipin was sure of what he wanted, and that’s very helpful. As an actor, all I had to do was follow his cues.
Sometimes, if there’s a lack of communication, the burden of figuring out what the director has in their mind falls completely on the actor. This may turn things quite tense and chaotic on the set. But this wasn’t the case on the set of Angammal. The only worry we had was to finish the project on time and bring the best in every scene. Here, communicating with the director was a lot easier.
I must mention here that in Pa Ranjith’s 2022 film Natchathiram Nagargiradhu, I did the role of an upper caste woman, who is against her son marrying a Scheduled Caste girl. There’s a 10-minute scene in the movie, in which my character brings the roof down. It was written and picturised so well by Pa Ranjith that I even won an award for it. The story implies how in a lot of ways women safeguard the caste system in their respective families. It was quite an eye-opening role to play, with so many people later conveying to me that similar incidents have taken place in their households too.
Vipin and his team had seen my work in Navarasa before meeting me. But later, I insisted that they watch Natchathiram Nagargiradhu, and that kind of sealed the deal for me. Casting a celebrity actor probably would have helped them to market the film better. But they showed faith in my potential, instead. It’s a huge risk that they have taken with me. The film is yet to go out to the masses. There were challenges, but they gave me the space to give my best to the role. Vipin has beautifully carved the character of Angammal. Just because she’s the lead, it’s not that she keeps speaking throughout the film. There are a lot of silences too which, I believe, have connected very well with the audience. The way they envisioned the character and paid attention to every detail is praiseworthy.
Q. The story of Angammal may be set in the 90s, but the dynamics she had with her sons and society in general are more or less the same as contemporary times. Do you agree with the choices that she made as a character?
A. What I felt was that Angammal doesn’t want to do something that she is not used to. However, it’s not a big deal for her. As in, she would have probably worn a blouse for her son’s sake. The discomfort actually arises from what’s happening around her. The conflict begins there. Whether done unintentionally or on purpose, she found the subsequent occurrences disagreeable and hurtful. This, in turn, made her realise that she’s not comfortable with the change that the family expected her to make. Following her husband’s death and while raising the two sons by herself, she would have probably sacrificed many things in life or done things that she wouldn’t have opted for had her circumstances been different.
On the surface, it might look like a small decision – whether or not to wear a blouse. But there comes a point in her life, where she decides to step back to think if she really wants to make that change. Maybe, it flashes through her mind… Much like the uchchimala winds that come knocking in the village after so many years. Even at MAMI, the jury asked, ‘Why do you think she wouldn’t wear a blouse? What do you think Angammal should have done?’ But these questions are not easy to answer. Nonetheless, I must mention here that what I like the most about this story are the layers that it has created in the narrative.
Q. Do you believe that it’s a good time for indie cinema in India, particularly regional films?
A. I think it’s a good time for indie cinema in the country. I see a lot of leading actors or fairly popular actors also getting involved in independent films. But in comparison, I feel that trend is yet to catch on in the Tamil industry. Opportunities for the so-called non-actors, especially for female artists, are still few. I am sure there are many young female actors who would love to be a part of independent films, become heroines. However, even now the South film industries are more preoccupied with male actors.
Speaking from an actor’s perspective, there are many established artists also who do not get enough opportunities. Of course, independent films are made on a small budget and they prefer to take local artistes, sometimes even non-actors. And that’s a good thing. But maybe it would be nice to have a professional actor at least as the main character in the movie. There are so many of us waiting for an opportunity. Even if it’s a small role in a nice storyline, we would like to do that.
Even at MAMI, I was so happy to see the films showcased at the festival. I kept wondering where the auditions for such roles happen. How would I get to be a part of these? At the end of the day, it’s all fiction and we all would love to see ourselves playing meaningful characters.
Q. Any favourites from MAMI 2024?
A. I liked watching Girls Will Be Girls [writer-director Shuchi Talati’s award-winning Indo-French coming-of-age drama film, with Preeti Panigrahi and Kani Kusruti in the lead] and Shambhala [Min Bahadur Bham-directed Tibetan/Nepali drama film, starring Thinley Lhamo, Sonam Topden and Tenzin Dalha].
Meanwhile, Manipuri filmmaker Lakshmipriya Devi’s Boong [featuring Gugun Kipgen and Bala Hijam, the movie is co-produced by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani, among others] was another film I quite enjoyed.
Q. Tell us about your recent films and future projects…
A. Lubber Pandhu [writer-director Tamizharasan Pachamuthu’s sports drama film, also starring Dinesh, Devadarshini Chetan and Jensan Diwakar] is a massive hit in Tamil Nadu. The movie has just started streaming on Disney+ Hotstar. I have done a small but important role in it. Then there’s Sivakarthikeyan and Sai Pallavi starrer Amaran, which was released during Diwali. [It’s a biographical action war film directed by Rajkumar Periasamy, also featuring Bhuvan Arora and Rahul Bose]. I play a significant character in it. There’s also writer-director Samyuktha Vijayan’s Neela Nira Sooriyan (Blue Sunshine), where I acted alongside Gajaraj and Manimegalai.
Among my future projects, there’s an interesting independent film called Yama Kathagi. The cast mostly comprises noted theatre actors. Made a couple of years ago, the film’s finally releasing now. It’s the story of a woman, who is as strong as a demon. I play a lead in it. Then, there is Vaali Mohan Das-directed Madraskaaran, starring Shane Nigam, Aishwarya Dutta and Kalaiyarasan. Whatever films I have done so far, people have noticed and praised my work in all of them. Somehow, they find my characters very relatable, and I am very grateful for that recognition.
