Anjana Jayaprakash: I'm planning to change my looks to avoid being stereotyped

Sathyan Anthikad's films are always known for the presence of resolute, independent and pragmatic women. They are the fulcrum of his films. Director Anoop Sathyan took a leaf or two from his dad's classic Achuvinte Amma (2005) to spin an endearing tale of two women—a young mom and her daughter — in his debut film, Varane Avashyamund (2020). The Sathyan Anthikad touch is once again prevalent in Anoop's twin brother, Akhil Sathyan's maiden directorial, Pachuvum Athbutha Vilakkum, which is currently setting the cash registers ringing. Although the film is about the coming-of-age of Fahadh Faasil's Pachu, it is through the strong presence of the three women in his life. One of them is Hamsadhwani, who is the quintessential Sathyan Anthikad heroine but is a bit more too. Anjana Jayaprakash, a relatively unknown face to the Malayali audience, beautifully plays the part and has already sealed a place in their hearts. While some are busy naming her the find of the year, not many know that Anjana has been around for quite some time now. Soaking in all the adulation, far away in the UAE, Anjana shares with us her past, present, and plans for the future.

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Your first appearance in Malayalam cinema was in a brief role in Kumbasaram (2015). Why did it take so long for your next?
 

Though I'm a Malayali by birth, I did my graduation in Coimbatore and later settled in Chennai. After Kumbasaram, I made my full-fledged debut with the Tamil film Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru (2016), directed by my collegemate Karthick Naren. Then I did a web series called Queen (loosely based on Jayalalithaa's life). It started streaming in December 2019, and Pachuvum Athbutha Vilakkum got launched in January 2020. While actually, there wasn't a big gap, the pandemic delayed a lot of plans, including my return to Malayalam cinema. 

In between, you shot a bit for Premam as well...
 

Premam was the first ever film for which I attended an audition. I was supposed to play one of the female leads in it and even shot for a couple of days. But then they thought I wasn't suitable for the role, which was eventually played by Madonna Sebastian. 

An early rejection and then a 3-year-long wait for your second Malayalam film... The Malayalam film industry hasn't been very kind to you...

The Premam experience was a pretty harsh welcome. I realised that cinema is a place where our failures get discussed publicly. Even if you've moved on, others won't let you forget. It also taught me a lot about the unpredictable nature of this industry. After what happened with Premam, I was wary of talking about my role in Pachuvum Athbutha Vilakkum. The delay only added to my anxiety. I still remember texting the film's production controller during the early stages of the pandemic, asking if it'll affect our shoot, but he assured me that things were on track. With the lockdown going on and on, I doubted if the project would even take off. But it did, and I'm glad it was worth the wait.

Your character in Pachuvum Athbutha Vilakkum has a lot of shades of a quintessential Sathyan Anthikad heroine. Did you realise it during the first narration?

I grew up watching a lot of Sathyan sir's films. So yes, there was a sense of familiarity, even with Pachu's characterisation. But with Fahadh Faasil playing the role, I knew he would make it look unique. I think Hamsadhwani is very similar to my real self. She is guarded, independent and... I'm scared to say this, but yes, bold.

How was it to work with a proven performer like Fahadh? 

When Akhil said Fahadh was in talks for Pachu, I was both excited and anxious. I remember watching Trance soon after and being blown away by his performance. I was wondering how to act with a beast of a performer like him. But at the same time, I was also glad that I would be able to learn a few tricks of the trade. When I told a few friends about acting with Fahadh, they were all thrilled. They wanted me to observe his acting process keenly and report it to them. That's the kind of curiosity he has created with his enviable body of work.

I initially found it tough to match up to his spontaneity since he improvises a lot with his actions and dialogues. There are several lines in the film that weren't there originally in the script. It took me some time to get into the groove, but once I stopped being Anjana and started reacting like Hamsadhwani, it became easy.

With your performance as Hamsadhwani getting unanimously lauded, there is a possibility of you being offered similar roles. How do you plan to evade it?

Unfortunately, stereotyping is a reality actors have to deal with. It's up to the actors to try and actively break it, regardless of the outcome. In my case, I'm planning to change my look a bit. To avoid getting boxed into Hamsadhwani-like roles, I shouldn't look like her anymore! (laughs).

I'm also a greedy actor who seeks challenging roles, but I am also practical. Certain films might not offer enough scope for performance, but they will get you visibility. If I get a template role in a film that has the potential for massive reach, then it wouldn't make much sense for me to decline it.

This opens up a Pandora's box of roles, right? 

I'm not sure if I can do everything in the box. For instance, I'm not really confident of my ability to pull off purely eye-candy roles. It requires a different kind of skill set. I'm more at ease playing mature characters. Let's see what comes next. I'm quite optimistic... just like Hamsadhwani.