Aparna Balamurali on Veetla Vishesham interview

Aparna Balamurali amazed the audience with her role as Bommi, wife of Nedumaaran Rajangam (played by Suriya) in Soorarai Pottru. She left no stone unturned to get into the skin of the Madurai girl in the hit film helmed by Sudha Kongara. Aparna thinks Soorarai Pottru helped her unlearn a lot of things and it will help her in future. 

“In Soorarai Pottru, the most difficult part was to unlearn some things. During my first film, everything was new and different in terms of technicalities also. It was like a kid left at a kindergarten. I have personally come a long way in between doing Malayalam and Tamil films.  What l have learnt in Soorarai Pottru is going to help me in future also,” said Aparna Balamurali said as she recalled her experience of working in Suriya starrer. 

The Maheshinte Prathikaaram fame actress who is now open to doing Telugu films thinks Soorarai Pottru could have been a game-changer film for her in terms of exposure, meeting people physically if there was no COVID-19 pandemic. 

“I could have got better exposure I think, met a lot of people physically but everything was virtual then due to covid. If we didn’t have the phase like Corona, probably, it could have been a game-changer. But I feel grateful that even after getting the OTT release, the kind of reach it got was really good. I’m taking the positive side of it,” said Aparna Balamurali about Soorarai Pottru, which was released in 2020. 

Up next is Veetla Vishesham, a Tamil remake of the Hindi hit Badhaai Ho. The much-awaited film is releasing on June 17 and will see RJ Balaji reprising Ayushmann Khurranna’s role. Aparna Balamurali steps into Sanya Malhotra’s shoes from the original. 

Asked if she watched the original before prepping up for her role in Veetla Vishesham, Aparna revealed, “What I wanted to do here was not imitate anyone or anything that is already there or make it look like what she has done (Sanya Malhotra). She has done something very good in the movie and that is hers but I wanted to create something of my own. Especially, the scenarios totally change, as per the South Indian audience’s taste. I wanted our people to connect more with my character so I consciously didn’t want Sanya’s a lot but certain crucial scenes which she has in the movie, those things I watched and wanted to see how she did those scenes. Very small references I wanted to take but I consciously tried to not imitate what she did. The script by Balaji is beautifully written catering to the Tamil audience and what they would enjoy. The characters also change accordingly.”

Further sharing her experience of working with veteran actors Sathyaraj and Urvashi, the actress says, “Apart from me and Balaji, working with senior actors like Sathyaraj sir and Urvashi ma’am was a such a beautiful feeling. One day, we had a shoot with the entire cast and it was like a dream for any artist to be there. It was good to see them doing those naughty scenes onscreen. It is actually their movie. They were like youngsters on set and so was their energy. That was the biggest blessing.” 

Aparna Balamurali says she is very secure as an actress and for her, nothing but the power of character is everything. “For me, character matters. Of course, in certain cases, you want screen time depending on the script or you will feel like there is nothing much to do in it but certain characters, like in Veetla Vishesham, my character has a key role to play in a man’s life. So for me that matters and it will reach the audience. The strength of character matters to me.” 

“For me, success is what I have learnt and if I’m satisfied with the role I play. In Soorarai Pottru I had a lot of workshops, and lessons which helped me personally. It has changed the way I act for even a small scene. There is an evident change now,” says Aparna who has come a long way without having any Godfather in the industry. 

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