In the shoes of a woman

A man trying to act, talk, walk and behave like a woman has always provided the ultimate challenge for performing artistes.

 In recent times, Hollywood blockbuster ‘Mrs Doubtfire’ inspired a lot of Indian film-makers to try something similar with a little twist in the tale. Joining superstar Kamal Hassan in Tamil film Avvai Shanmugi and Malayalam actor Dileep in Mayamohini is Sandalwood’s Sharan, who has played a woman in his latest project Jayalalitha. The movie has been completed and is set for release in less than two weeks. 

Sharan confesses that as an actor, this character is a dream come true. “There’s a huge difference between pretending to be a woman and actually playing out the character of a woman. I had to act every inch like a woman which took me a year to complete,” Sharan tells Metrolife.

Sharan says that he was asked to shed 11 kilos for the role so that he could slip into all the costumes whether a sari, skirt or salwar with ease. What started off as an experiment, feels Sharan, has turned out to be better than what the makers had expected.

   “There is nothing amiss in the movie. People will not only see me in a woman’s garb but also see the comedian in me. It is an outright entertainer,” Sharan says. 

The challenge was to portray the many emotions that make a woman, including the mannerisms. “Not only was the make-up like that of a woman but I also had to make efforts to change my behaviour to suit the various emotions. I don’t find it hard anymore to walk around in a salwar kameez or in a sari, which is what I did for most of the year,” he adds.  

One thing that Sharan often gets asked is about the title of the film – whether is it has something to do with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalitha. He laughs, “The two are unrelated. People will know why it is titled Jayalalitha once the film is released.The title perfectly suits the character.” 

Sharan had to spend a considerable amount of time perfecting the art of being a woman. “I waxed, did my eyebrows,manicure and pedicure – it was painful indeed. Now I know what women gothrough to look beautiful,” he signs off.