Anumol: Working with Mohan sir in Haraa such a breeze

Actor Anumol was recently seen in the medical drama Heart Beat, which was released last week on Disney+ Hotstar. This is her second web series after Zee5’s Ayali, for which she received critical acclaim. Anumol has been in the film industry for over 15 years now. However, the actor says that it took her years to understand the pulse of the audience. She reveals that an actor would get typecast, not based on the types of roles they play but just by their appearance on screen.

"In Ayali, I played a village woman who wears traditional attire and a nose ring. I decided to take it up because it had plenty of scope for performance. However, I got many similar roles after Ayali, but I wanted something different." Anumol is someone who looks out for diversity in roles; this is evident in her filmography, which includes a variety of roles, such as a sex worker in Oru Naal Iravil, an artist in Padmini, and a dancer in Udalaazham, to name a few.

While Heart Beat is billed as a straightforward drama, Anumol insists that it offers a whole lot more for her as an actor. "I play Chief Doctor Radhi in Heart Beat, a career-focused and workaholic professional. It is the first time I am doing a role like this, in complete contrast to the characters I usually play," she says. According to Anumol, the series takes place entirely in a hospital, revolving around the lives of healthcare professionals. On preparing to play a doctor, Anumol says, “I had a detailed discussion about my character with director Deepak Sundarrajan, and there were real doctors on set to guide us on the intricacies of working in a hospital. I learned so much about the medical field on the Heart Beat set that I used to jokingly tell the makers that they had to get me an MBBS degree after the series.”

Having worked in films for over a decade, Anumol talks about the differences in working on a web series, compared to films. "With web series, we shoot a lot of scenes on a daily basis, compared to a film. Other than that, it was all the same,” says Anumol.

The actor will next be seen in CID Ramachandran Retd SI and Tha Thavalayude Tha in Malayalam, as well as Mohan's comeback film, Haraa. When asked about her experience working with the 80s star, Anumol says, “I am someone who grew up watching his films and listening to his songs. All those nostalgic memories flashed through my mind when I did my first scene, a song sequence, with Mohan sir in Haraa. For such an actor, who is considered a veteran, he behaved like just another cast member.”