PremiumRomeo star Mirnalini Ravi Interview: I am very cautious that my roles are never hampered during the edits
Mirnalini Ravi, who will be seen in the upcoming Romeo, talks about her 5-year mark, on living eternally through characters, her favourites, and if she loves women-oriented films and more
Last Updated: 01.23 PM, Apr 07, 2024
It’s a known fact that actors tend to get the busiest during movie promotions. But even after giving back-to-back interviews for her upcoming film Romeo, and getting in conversation with OTTplay, actor Mirnalini Ravi was as energetic as ever with a sense of enthusiasm in her voice, even as we speak in the late hours of the day. Mirnalini, who completed five years in the industry, since her debut in Super Deluxe, has conquered most of the fascinating check-lists, a viral song in the form of Tum Tum, sharing screen space with known actors, graced the screen with AR Rahman music in Cobra , and was part of critically acclaimed film Super Deluxe.
Speaking about her five-year mark, Mirnalini, who had humble beginning by doing TikTok and Dubsmash videos, says that she has had a drastic change in both her professional and personal lives ever since her debut. “Looking back in 2019, my parents were very much involved in the decisions I took, accompanied me to all the shooting spots, involved in the scripts I chose, but now, I am all on my own and they are in the state of mind that they can trust me and I am capable of taking my own decisions that will be right. From being extremely guarded about cinema and photoshoots, to now understanding that I can make my own choices, by itself is a big achievement for me. Coming tomy career, I feel after five years, I am doing a role equal to the hero if not one step higher, and a director has visioned me. If you see in Romeo, my character Leela is the soul of the film and the entire story revolves around her likes.”
Importance on characters
Mirnalini also takes us back to the days when she used to admire certain women characters onscreen. “I think more than favourite hero and heroines, I had favourite characters. Be it Asin’s Mothamadi Kalpana in Ghajini or Trisha in Abhiyum Naanum and Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa, these characters played a huge part in my childhood,” she adds.
It is to be noted that the actor began her love for acting by posting videos on Dubsmash and TikTok, which made the spotlight shine on her. On what prompted her to do this, Mirnalini says, “For the love I had on these characters is the reason why I started doing Dubsmash, and it was way before I had the wish to enter cinema. It is only now there is an understanding that a good social media presence can catapult you into cinema, but back in 2016, no one even knew if people would watch these reels. It was for the sheer happiness to replicate these characters and live like them.”
For the actor, her vision is strong that she wants future generations to admire her characters, just like she did. “More than remembering Mirnalini, my characters should live. Asin might not act much today, but Kalpana is evergreen and fresh in our memories. She is timeless and my biggest goal is to play such characters. I was also confident that I would get such characters when the time is right and I am prepared.”
From social media to big screens
In these five years, Mirnalini is proud of her accomplishments, including a transition from mobile screen to silver screen, a hit viral song, sharing screen space with actor like Vikram, and finally being able to do a type of character she has admired. “When I was ready for it, Romeo came to me. Looking back now, having come from humble beginnings when social media wasn’t even a thing and I remember using sunlight for my reels, to have come here where people ask for my shoot availability and being taken care of on the sets, this itself has been a big thing. I did not attend any auditions, and people have offered me all the roles so far, so that itself is an evolving and healthy growth,” she adds.
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Mirnalini is sure of one thing, to not grace the screens for the sake of it, but able to make an impact. “I am very conscious that my part is crucial to the film and that it cannot be removed at any cost without hampering the story. If you see Cobra, my role was limited but was crucial. In Enemy, even though I was the love interest, I took the chance to score through my dance and capitalised it by using it the most. It soon became such a huge hit. Even in Super Deluxe, my character was on and off, and I have been very cautious that my role is never compromised during the edits. With Romeo, the whole film is about Leela, and I know there is no chance my character will be compromised.”
Speaking of Romeo, Mirnalini says that Leela is the complete opposite of her. Unlike the actor who is very much expressive and a person who elaborately explains what she feels and wants to convey, Leela is someone who is crisp with her words and expressions. “That was something new for me, and I had taken a month training with Kalairani mam, on how to communicate without being too expressive. It was very challenging because as an actor, you just need to replicate what the director says and it’s easy, but here you should be the creator, and try how to express while communicating something,” the actor adds.
Women-oriented films
When asked how the industry is for women now, she says, “There has always been a set of sensible directors who have placed women and men characters on the same pedestal. I am not a big fan of women-oriented films that only preaches, because cinema is an entertainment industry. You need the entertaining factor as well if you are writing such films. I don’t mind doing a small role in an entertaining film, but I don’t want to do a woman-oriented film if it turns out to be boring. Take the example of Ghilli or Abhiyum Naanum, where the roles are blended with the story with the entertaining factor. Any day, I appreciate directors who write strong women roles who are remembered as characters.”
Mirnalini, who rose from social media, considers it to be a major tool that gives access to any corner of the world. Citing the example of herself, who was residing in Bengaluru, but now has a career in Chennai, and she credits the medium for this shift. “We also see how influencers make a living and I believe that financial independence gives way for creative knowledge. For people who don’t even know how to begin, social media gives them a way forward,” Mirnalini says.
The actor, who has stated that she patiently waits to choose her scripts, says that she wants to be entertaining, impactful, and add to the weight of the story. She recalls, “After Tum Tum, I got many characters that had no point besides a song. I did Enemy because I had a bucket list like working with a big hero, production house, and dance numbers, for my initial films. But now, I want to try out beyond that and my future projects should tap into my hidden potential. Now, I am making sure the shelf life of my characters is lengthier.”
Up next, Mirnalini is doing a web series which she called heavy and draining. “I am quite surprised that I am pulling it out. I am making sure that my roles are heavy because I have come from a very blessed lifestyle and upbringing. I have not gone through any emotional roller coaster and I was well taken care of. So, I don’t have much wisdom about life and experiences. But when I am playing a character with highs and lows, I am interested to know how I will pull it out. So, when I do it step by step, it is extremely satisfying process. When I am doing this web series, it is liberating to know what I can pull off.” Calling her series on the lines of Euphoria, the actor concludes that it consists of a young team and calls it a liberating act.