Exclusive! Rima Kallingal: I have essayed enough of bold roles; I badly want to play a vulnerable or an evil woman

The Mollywood actress-producer is back to Kollywood after a decade-long hiatus with Silva's Chithirai Sevvaanam

Rima Kallingal

Actress and producer Rima Kallingal's elated to be back in Tamil cinema with Stunt Silva's directorial debut, Chithirai Sevvaanam which is set for a direct-to-OTT release on Zee5. According to her, the offer came out of the blue and she was more than happy to land the role of an upright cop in the film.

In an exclusive chat with OTTplay, she talks about her character in the movie, returning to Kollywood, upcoming projects, her interest in exploring different film industries, gender disparity with regard to depiction of roles in movies, the need for more women filmmakers in our country and more...

Tell us how you came on board Chithirai Sevvaanam?

It was director Vijay sir who recommended me. He has written the film's story, which revolves around the bonding between a father and a daughter. The offer was a completely unexpected one, though I had bumped into Vijay sir a couple of times in the recent past. It was so nice of him to remember me and offer me this role.

Later, I found it interesting to sit with Silva sir and figure out what he was expecting from me. I loved portraying a powerful woman who tries to draw the balance between her duty and her compassionate behaviour which helps her understand a father's plight. It was this trait of the character which kept me hooked.

This is your comeback of sorts in Tamil industry. How do you look at it?

Though it's been quite a while since I have done a Tamil movie, Kollywood has never been an unfamiliar industry for me. Despite being born in Kerala, I used to stay at Coonoor till my fourth grade. I grew up watching a lot of Tamil films. My dad has been an ardent fan of Kamal Haasan.

I have been wanting to explore the industry, and when this offer came my way, I thought it would be interesting to take it up at this juncture of my career. When I got to know that I'm playing a cop in the movie with someone like Silva sir at the helm, I was expecting to be part of a few action sequences. But contrary to my expectations, I realized it was an intense drama with lot of emotions.

Have you been looking out for roles in Tamil and other languages?

Well, I'm a little old-fashioned when it comes to going out and reaching out to others to grab roles. Unlike directors who can create projects, we actors have to wait for scriptwriters and filmmakers to approach us. But I'm quite keen on exploring different industries. I don't want to limit myself, the bigger the reach, the happier I will be. Each state in India has different culture, different ways of approaching acting, scripts and films. It is always invigorating to work with people who follow different culture. For an artist, it is the most rewarding experience.

You made your Hindi debut with the short film, Sunny Side Upar, a couple of years ago. How was the experience like?

I had attended Mumbai Film Festival and met Vijayeta, the director of the project. She expressed her admiration towards Malayalam film industry and we had amazing conversation on movies. She said she will come to me soon with an interesting offer. I was excited when she had send an intriguing script; it was an out-and-out fun story. I jumped at it as soon as I could.

Having essayed diverse roles over the years, what kind of characters are you looking forward to play now?

I think I have played enough of bold characters that I feel I'm getting stereotyped now. I badly want to play a vulnerable woman, or an evil woman. I feel that female actors, comparatively, have limited scope when it comes to essaying varied roles. I have come across filmmakers casting certain actors for unusual roles so as to surprise the audience. But I don't see such experiments being carried out with female actors. This is why I'm waiting for more women to come behind the camera.

How do you look at the change in the portrayal of female characters over the years?

With each passing day, we are moving forward and I think with the internet having a huge influence in our lives, we are aware of our feminist histories, which in turn, has helped filmmakers to create characters in a sensitive manner. Today, we come across stories of women donning different roles in the society, including being at the helm of affairs of governance in a few countries.

I believe this change has been clearly reflecting while filmmakers approach their characters. The presence of more women in film crews, especially in the writing and direction department, will bring a lot of changes. Even today, it is difficult to get women-centric stories greenlit.

But don't you think this scenario is slowly changing?

I think things are steadily changing in the international space when compared to the scenario in India. Female actors are more vocal there about gender pay disparity and second class treatment. Jennifer Lawrence had spoken about it recently, too.

How excited are the actor and producer in you about the OTT boom?

I'm really excited about the fact that we have one more medium to connect with the audience. It has enabled us to come up with projects which would once be approached with skeptical mindset. The OTT platforms have encouraged writers to experiment a lot with out-of-the-box storytelling.

How does the producer in you approach stories in a progressive manner?

I think, primarily, we make sure the content is not regressive, even if it is not too progressive. While portraying certain scenarios in a realistic way, we depict regressive characters, but at the end of the day, the take away will not be regressive. That is a primary requisite not just in terms of approaching scripts, but with regard to whatever you do; the way you live or the day-to-day stuff you indulge in.

What are your other upcoming projects?

Bheemante Vazhi, which has me as its co-producer, is releasing on Friday. Similarly, Naradhan, another project which has me donning the producer's hat, is likely to hit the screens in January. My next as an actor is Neela Velicham, the remake of Bhargavi Nilayam which released in 1964. I'm playing Bhargavi, a wronged woman, who has multiple shades. Needless to say, I'm thrilled about it. I'm currently in talks for a Hindi project as well.

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