Shyamaprasad gives artistes their space

In an earlier interview with us, Bhavana had said that she had almost given up hope on getting a role of substance in the Malayalam industry.
All she got were the bubbly lover girl characters, with no role except to support the hero. However, it seems lady luck has turned in favour of the actress. Back in Kerala after two months of shoot of Shyamaprasad’s Ivide in Atlanta, Bhavana says the film is everything she wanted.“I had once got an opportunity to work with Shyamaprasad, but couldn’t take it up owing to date issues. So to act in Ivide was a dream come true. I loved my character, Rosalyn, as it was something I had never done before,” she says.
Bhavana plays an IT official in the film, a divorcee, who is a mother as well. “The film won’t have elements like songs and comedy, but it will be a sensible movie; that much we can assure you.”
And working for Ivide was an experience to cherish in more ways than one, she says. “I like to work with a director who gives the artiste their space, or else you end up like a robot doing every move as they say. Joshiy and Hariharan belong to the first category. Shyamaprasad goes a step ahead and is even open to your suggestions. He lets you do a scene the way you want to, and then corrects it. The way you see a character and the way he sees it would be different, he would say,” says Bhavana.
The film stars Prithviraj and Nivin Pauly in the other major roles, and interestingly, except for the actors, the entire crew were Americans! And that was something new, says Bhavana. “Except for five of us, the rest of the crew were Americans, from camera persons to sound technicians to assistant directors. Their working style is totally different — they work very hard, but strictly within specified hours, and take a day off a week. Also, they shoot with less light, relatively.”
Atlanta is apparently not a city which has many Malayalis, and thus the actors could walk the streets without getting mobbed. “I enjoyed the anonymity thoroughly. Every day we would go out and eat, and shop. The weather was also pleasant and cool. When the shoot got over, I felt really down, actually.” Coming up next for Bhavana is The Adventures of Omanakuttan, opposite Asif Ali. There is also Honeybee 2, but scripting is still on. “Talks are also on for a few Kannada as well as Malayalam movies, but I am in no hurry. I want to pick only the best,” she signs off.