Priyamani opens up on what intrigued her towards Aha’s ‘home-cooked’ thriller Bhamakalapm-Entertainment News , Firstpost
Priyamani, whose Bhamakalapam, releases on 11 February on Aha, speaks about making her Telugu OTT debut, playing The Family Man’s Suchi, and why she prefers going with the flow
Watching the teaser of Bhamakalapam, which releases on Aha in Telugu and Tamil on 11 February, one thing strikes you — when Priyamani is in her element, it’s difficult to look at anyone else on screen. As the busybody who knows everything that’s going on in the apartment, even as she’s a successful YouTuber, Priya’s Anupama is someone we’ve not often seen on screen. All this, in a “home-cooked” thriller.
Among the things OTT has done is give actresses like Priyamani, who mainstream cinema mostly struggled to slot because they defied stereotypes, a shot at showcasing their versatile talent. Her Suchi from Raj and DK’s The Family Man series is still spoken about and judged, because of how Priya played her. Anupama looks like someone created with some out-of-the-box thinking too. “Well, though I’ve travelled with the script, the teaser and trailer intrigued me too. It has to do with the way director Abhimanyu wrote and narrated the script. It’s a nice thriller with a bit of dark comedy and a good chance for me to step into the world of OTT in Telugu. I’m really looking forward to it,” says Priyamani.
It’s not often that food plays an important role in a thriller. Priya agrees, and says it adds its own touch to the story. “Saying anything more will be revealing the twist in the story. But, I think Abhimanyu has done a pretty good job fusing the various elements. He knows his craft and what he wants from his actors, and I think it has all come together well.”
For some years now, Priyamani has maintained that digital is the next big thing in India. “I think OTT got us through the pandemic, thank god for that. It offers actors the liberty of choice and also great range. It has offered us roles that might not be possible in a theatrical film, and that is one reason why many actors are venturing into OTT and web movies. I watch a lot of shows across languages and I definitely see fantastic content. That said, I’m happy with the roles coming my way, both in OTT and films meant for a theatrical release.”
Priya, a national award-winning actress (Muthazhagu in Paruthiveeran) well regarded in the South, was a revelation for the rest of the country when The Family Man released. She’s always been someone who’s gone with the flow, embracing opportunities as they came. But, was OTT an attempt to break the shackles? “I never thought I was thinking out of the box, or that OTT would take over the world. I’m grateful to Raj Sir and DK Sir and Amazon for The Family Man and for giving me Suchi. Initially, I might have had inhibitions, because no one knew the possible reach and scope of OTT. But, the love I continue to receive is phenomenal. I continue to go with the flow and take each day as it comes,” she says.
But OTT also opened her to a lot of criticism, with Suchi’s character getting judged for her choices. Did it feel like validation for how she played her?
“Everyone has an opinion and you cannot sit everyone down and change theirs or explain your stand. Well, I think that if Suchi is being judged, especially in Season 2, I must have done something right. I think it is the power of writing and the way she was presented.”
Priya is also one of the actors who has the unique ability to be conversant in the four main South Indian languages — Tamil, Kannada, Telugu and Malayalam, besides English and Hindi. Is that an added skillset?
“I think knowing languages is definitely an advantage because you react better to your co-star if you know what is being said. I took it upon myself to learn Telugu and Malayalam, I grew up with Tamil and Kannada. Hindi was my second language in school, and English was the medium of instruction. It helps, yes,” says Priya who is also part of the Rana Daggubati-Sai Pallavi starrer Virata Parvam, set amid the background of the Naxal movement. “There’s also The Family Man 3, which is on the cards, no idea when we will shoot, though,” he says. Besides this, there’s the reality show Dhee, the Tamil Quotation Gang, with Jackie Shroff and Sunny Leone, and a couple of other as yet unannounced projects across languages.
Among the reasons, Priyamani escaped stereotyping was her unique voice, which hits the base notes. “Has that been my strength, I don’t know. I don’t know if it’s a plus or a minus, but sometimes, when I hear myself, I hear a voice that’s unlike what is expected of a woman’s. So, they come to me when they want a grunge voice. Some like it, some don’t, but I’m happy if that prevents people from stereotyping me,” she smiles.
Subha J Rao is a consultant writer and editor based out of Mangaluru, Karnataka. There, she keeps alive her love for cinema across languages. You can find her on Twitter @subhajrao.
