You
made
your
Malayalam
debut
in
2006
with
the
Mammootty-starrer
Prajapathi.
How
does
it
feel
to
be
back
in
Malayalam
cinema
after
16
years?
I
don't
look
at
it
as
a
comeback
to
Malayalam
cinema.
Of
course,
I've
been
a
part
of
Prajapathi,
but
never
really
‘acted'
in
that
film.
I
was
a
dance
student
back
then,
and
I
did
the
film
as
a
dancer.
I
feel
like
Sufiyum
Sujatayum
is
my
first
proper
film
in
Malayalam
as
an
actor.
I
have
done
films
in
Hindi,
Tamil,
and
Telugu.
I'm
doing
a
Malayalam
film
after
being
in
the
industry
for
over
9
years,
and
it
feels
so
good.
I'm
happy
that
I
could
start
with
such
a
sweet
love
story.
What
was
the
one
factor
that
attracted
you
to
Sufiyum
Sujatayum?
It
was
not
just
one
thing,
but
there
are
so
many
factors.
Firstly,
it
was
a
simple
story,
which
is
very
eternal.
When
you
hear
a
story
like
this,
you
believe
that
true
love
always
finds
a
way.
In
a
conventional
way,
they
don't
end
up
together,
but
philosophically
they
will
be
together
for
life.
No
matter
how
much
they
make
you
cry,
bitter-sweet
love
stories
are
always
special
for
the
audiences.
The
second
thing
was
the
fact
that
I
get
to
play
a
speech-impaired
girl,
which
I
have
never
done
before.
I
really
wanted
to
explore
such
a
character
and
I
totally
enjoyed
playing
it.
It
was
great
to
not
have
any
dialogues
and
totally
rely
on
expressions.
Sujata
is
a
challenging
character
in
many
aspects.
How
did
you
prepare
for
the
role?
Sign
language
is
a
whole
language
in
itself,
and
it
takes
time
to
learn
it.
I
did
a
basic
10-15
days
session
with
a
sign
language
teacher
from
Kerala.
He
was
a
very
kind
person,
and
taught
me
with
a
lot
of
patience.
Also,
he
was
present
in
the
sets
throughout
the
shoot,
and
that
was
a
big
help.
Did
your
passion
for
dance
help
in
playing
the
character?
Of
course.
I
didn't
have
to
take
training
in
dance,
since
I've
been
dancing
since
I
was
5.
Also,
you
can't
train
to
get
the
expressions
right.
It
has
to
happen
on
its
own.
Sujata’s
costumes
have
already
set
a
new
trend
among
the
fashion
lovers.
How
did
you
finalise
the
look?
Honestly,
the
look
was
completely
designed
by
Sameera
Saneesh,
the
costume
designer.
I
could
understand
why
people
love
her
work
so
much,
because
she
is
so
professional
and
know
her
work
so
well.
I
believe
that,
to
create
a
character
you
should
also
be
involved
in
the
look,
because
that
adds
so
much
to
it.
For
Sujata,
the
only
thing
I
had
in
my
mind
was
that
I
will
not
use
any
sort
of
makeup.
We
decided
to
even
avoid
the
eye
makeup
and
used
just
a
simple
bindi.
Even
though
I
had
a
very
good
team,
I
tried
to
do
the
hair
myself
as
much
as
possible.
For
clothes,
Sameera
came
to
Bombay
for
the
trials,
and
the
only
suggestion
I
gave
her
was
to
keep
the
paavada-dhavani
look
maximum.
Because
I
felt
it
will
make
me
feel
more
like
Sujata,
while
a
salwar-clad
girl
can
belong
anywhere.
Also,
I
wanted
to
use
a
single
pair
jhumki
throughout
the
film,
to
keep
the
character
simple.
The
rest,
I
left
to
Sameera,
director
Shanavas,
and
DOP.
How
was
it
working
with
the
Sufiyum
Sujatayum
team,
especially
the
leading
men
Jayasurya
and
Dev
Mohan?
Every
person
in
the
cast
of
Sufiyum
Sujatayum
are
established
actors
in
their
own
ways,
while
I
felt
like
a
newcomer.
It
could
be
because
I'm
more
familiar
with
Bombay
and
didn't
know
anybody
in
the
Malayalam
industry.
When
working
with
somebody
with
a
lot
of
experience
like
Jayasurya
sir,
he
knows
exactly
what
to
do
in
a
scene.
They
are
almost
like
directors
and
know
what
gesture
to
give
just
to
elevate
a
simple
scene.
When
you
see
it
on
paper,
Jayasurya
sir
is
not
doing
much
in
a
lot
of
scenes.
But
when
he
appears
on
the
screen,
he
changes
the
whole
scene
with
just
one
look.
It
was
the
same
with
the
actors
like
Siddique,
Kalaranjini,
Valsala
Menon,
Hareesh
Kanaran,
and
so
on.
Coming
to
Dev
Mohan,
he
is
of
course
new
and
needed
a
little
guidance.
But
the
most
amazing
thing
about
him
was,
he
had
lived
with
this
script
and
his
character
for
almost
two
years
before
we
started
shooting.
And
that
makes
a
big
difference.
From
growing
his
hair
and
beard
for
his
look
and
learning
the
script,
he
probably
knew
the
script
better
than
any
of
us
did.
For
the
rest,
the
teamwork
helped
a
lot.
The
film
might
have
not
worked
if
one
actor
shined
and
the
rest
don't.
Director
Naranippuzha
Shanavas
was
very
clear
about
what
he
wants
and
had
a
very
philosophical
way
of
looking
at
it.
The
DOP
too
has
done
an
amazing
job.
What
do
you
feel
about
the
success
of
Sufiyum
Sujatayum?
I'm
really
really
happy
with
the
kind
of
response
the
movie
is
getting.
It
is
a
delicate,
sensitive
film.
I
knew
that
it
is
a
beautiful
love
story,
but
didn't
know
how
audiences
would
react
to
such
a
gentle
film.
Mostly
in
films,
there
is
always
some
kind
of
turmoil,
aggression,
and
drama.
But
in
Sufiyum
Sujatayum,
the
drama
is
very
internalised.
So,
the
fact
that
people
are
liking
it
and
watching
it
multiple
times,
the
kind
of
messages
and
artwork
on
the
film
that
we
receive,
are
really
amazing.
The
film
is
being
watched
by
non-Malayali
audiences,
who
told
us
that
we
will
watch
more
Malayalam
films
now.
The
audiences
are
already
waiting
for
your
next
outing
in
Malayalam
cinema.
Are
you
considering
any
new
projects?
I
don't
look
at
films
based
on
which
language
it
is
from.
What
I
look
for,
is
a
good
story,
a
good
director
and
actor,
and
a
character
I
feel
connected
with.
I
like
films
which
build
a
connection
with
the
audiences
and
make
them
fall
in
love
with
us.
Those
are
the
kinds
of
films
I
want
to
do
in
any
language.
Having
said
that,
I
grew
up
speaking
Hindi,
I
can
speak
Telugu
too,
I
can
manage
Tamil
because
I
worked
with
Mani
Ratnam
sir
and
he
taught
me
my
lines.
But
Malayalam
is
very
difficult.
I'm
dying
to
do
more
Malayalam
films,
but
it
will
have
to
be
something
I'm
able
to
handle.
I
don't
want
to
let
anybody
down,
or
want
people
waiting
for
me
on
sets,
so
that
I
can
get
my
lines
right.
I
feel
very
responsible
like
that.
Sufiyum
Sujatayum
was
easy
because
I
had
no
dialogues
in
the
film.
But
I
definitely
want
to
do
Malayalam
cinema
because
the
content
is
so
good
here.
The
content
is
good
in
all
industries
these
days,
but
Malayalam
cinema
has
been
making
fearless
content
for
so
many
years.
And
I
would
love
to
work
with
most
of
the
actors
in
the
industry.
Let's
see
how
it
goes.
Being
a
highly
creative
person,
how
are
you
spending
your
time
during
this
lockdown
period?
I've
been
dancing
and
singing
a
little
bit.
I
had
learned
Kalari
as
a
kid
and
am
now
trying
to
brush
up
the
skills
a
little
bit.
I'm
into
yoga
these
days
and
I'm
practicing
Ashtanga
Yoga.
Also,
I
learned
to
paint
furniture.
Also
helping
my
cousin
brother
to
set
up
his
new
home.
Basically,
I'm
one
of
those
people
who
can't
sit
quietly.