Right moment, right opportunity, and right decision key for my re-entry into films: Bhavana

A poster of ‘Ntikkakkakkoru Premandarnnu’. (SharafUDheenOfficial/Facebook)

“I heard the story and told the makers that I’d inform them of my decision later. After a month or so, I eventually decided to commit to this movie. I felt this was the right moment and the right opportunity. Hence, I decided to make the right decision (make a comeback in the Malayalam industry),” Bhavana told a media briefing organised in Kochi on Sunday, 19 February, as part of the film promotions.

The actor stated that she is still clueless about acting in Malayalam again. Only after the release of Ntikkakkakkoru Premandarnnu, would she be able to know if her calculations were correct about her re-entry. “I don’t know if I have made the right decision.”

Interestingly, the 36-year-old didn’t know the crew of Ntikkakkakkoru Premandarnnu. But she liked the script which talks about the meeting of two ex-lovers.

When asked if it was too late for a re-entry into films, Bhavana said that she didn’t feel so. “It’s a conflict of the mind. Sometimes I feel I don’t want to do movies, sometimes I feel why I should stay back. But if I get good roles, I will surely do movies.”

The feeling of a comeback seems to have put pressure on her, but she is up for the game.

She faced a sexual assault in 2017 which turned into a high-profile case and forced her to take a break from acting for a while. The case is still pending in a Kerala court.

 

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‘Script is important ‘

The Nammal-actor recalled that she turned down offers from people who were close to her and even friends in the industry. It’s because she is always driven by scripts.

“It’s easier when working with experienced directors, but still, script matters. Technicians and other aspects are secondary.”

Bhavana asserted that she would surely act in movies if she gets good stories. She will be next seen in Hunt directed by Shaji Kailas.

On audience’s sensitivities

Actor Bhavana is making a re-entry in films with ‘Ntikkakkakkoru Premandarnnu’. (bhavzmenon/Instagram)

Bhavana sees a change in the audience’s perspective before and after the pandemic. She believes the viewers have multiple choices now as they have the luxury to watch films at home via the OTT space.

“Earlier, superstar or multi-star films had a league of audience. People used to visit theatres to watch movies. But now, only word-of-mouth publicity is helping a film,” she observed.

“Earlier, for a week or two, superstar and multi-star films used to register good collections at the box office. But it’s a thing of the past now. But, with the advent of OTT, filmmakers are finding it difficult to draw crowds to theatres.”

The actress has a good knowledge of the storyline in films. According to Bhavana, realistic movies are the in-thing rather than hero, heroine, and villain-centric movies.

On equal remuneration

Malayalam actor Bhavana. (bhavzmenon/Instagram)

Amid the ongoing discussions on gender discrimination in films, equal remuneration has been a topic of debate in all industries.

National Award winner Aparna Balamurali recently opined about the need for equal remuneration for male and female actors. Soon, criticism poured in from some of the Malayalam producers about her statement.

On the issue, Bhavana asserted that the industry (all industries) is male-oriented.

“Male actors do get hikes in remuneration based on their star value. They do get a share in the distribution rights, too, based on the box office success rate.”

However, she hastened to add: “If a female actor delivers successive hits, she is asking for better remuneration based on her stardom these days. “Well, we’re we’re in a transition era and it takes time for things to fall in place.”

Meanwhile, young actor Sharafudeen, who is pairing up with Bhavana in Ntikkakkakkoru Premandarnnu, said the crew gave their best to make sure Bhavana was comfortable on the sets since it’s her comeback film.

He also welcomed good organic reviews for their film rather than taking feedback from the audience inside the theatres. “Well, nobody can control people from expressing their views about a film after watching the first shows,” he added.