JOIN USShe was first noticed by ace Malayalam director Lal Jose. He promptly cast her as a heroine in his Tamil venture Mazhai Varappokudu, but as luck would have it, the film never saw the light of day.
The curly-haired stunner with an hourglass figure who had participated in beauty contests, done a bit of modelling, and had also completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism in Bangalore, Rima Kallingal was eventually launched in 2009 by avant garde director Shyamprasad in Ritu. The character of Varsha, which she played in the film, struck a chord with audiences and also gave her an opportunity to show her mettle as the main protagonist in a female-oriented film.
The actress, a trained classical dancer, soon found herself being offered a diverse range of roles, but she was keen to taken up only those roles that would allow her to unleash her acting potential. Further, having trained extensively in martial arts like taekwondo, chau and Kerala’s own kalaripayattu, Rima was also on the lookout for action-oriented scripts.
The turning point
The one film that clearly provided a distinct fillip to her fledgling career was 22 Female Kottayam directed by Aashiq Abu (whom she later married), and it was the role of a nurse named Tessie who is taken for a ride by her lover who not only takes advantage of her, but also palms her off to an aged businessman friend who too exploits the young girl. In a gripping climax, the avenging angel castrates her boyfriend and murders the businessman. The film created ripples at the box office, raised conservative eyebrows, and Tessie soon became a symbol of the strong-willed woman who doesn’t take things lying down.
She won a number of awards for her brilliant portrayal. The commercial success of the film served her career also well as the films that had come earlier like Neelathamara and City of God had not done well at the box office, though she had well-defined roles in both of them. Nidra, directed by Siddharth Bharathan, where she was paired opposite the director, also attracted a lot of interest as there were a number of intimate scenes between the lead pair, but the film’s climax where the lovers commit suicide did little to prop up the film.
Indian Rupee, where she played the heroine opposite Prithviraj, fared better, and her performance too was lauded. However, despite her resolve to cherry pick roles, Rima was also a part of forgettable films like Happy Husbands, Best of Luck, Shankaranum Mohananum, Yuvan Yuvathi (in Tamil) and Sevenes. She, however, could make amends in films like Unnam and Ayalum Gnanum Thammil.
She also handled the role of a pregnant woman in Zachariyayude Garbhinigal, a film that dealt with the novel theme of a male gynaecologist and his five patients, but the film turned out to be a damp squib.
Films that have done much to resurrect her career include Chirakodinja Kinaavugal, crime thriller Rani Padmini, and Kaadu Pookunna Neram, which was in contention for a nomination to the Oscars for the Best Foreign Film. Today, she is in a happy place where she has already earned a name for being an actress who can deliver powerhouse performances.