Actor Rupa Manjari laughs as she recalls a spooky scene from her recent hit Yamirukka Bayamey . “We all turn into a ghost. We jump and behave like the possessed. It was physically draining but we were laughing. But, what really freaked me out were the test make-up shots we took to get the look of the ghost right. That was scary,” she remembers.
Yaamirukka…, directed by debutant Deekay, mixes two genres — horror and comedy — and the experiment seems to have worked. Rupa is thrilled with the way the film is bringing in the laughs. “When Deekay narrated the story to me, I enjoyed it right from the word go. And I was very sure that I wanted to do the film,” she says.
Though Rupa completely went by the director’s vision, she had to play up her performance in some of the scenes, especially where she becomes the ghost. “The idea is to scare the audience but at the same time entertain them too. Yaamirukka is a refreshing mix of both,” she adds.
Roopa’s first film Thiru Thiru Thuru Thuru was a rom-com. Then, she did Naan , a murder thriller, and a couple of Malayalam films Tournament and Mallu Singh . “In Tournament , directed by Lal, I played a wildlife photographer and in Mallu Singh , a Punjabi girl. I am fortunate to have worked with big banners right at the start of my career,” says the Tamilian settled in Bangalore.
In her upcoming film Sivappu set for release anytime soon, she takes the de-glam route and plays a Sri Lankan refugee. It is directed by Sathya Siva (who made Kazhugu ) and her co-star is Naveen Chandra who was seen in Telugu films such as Brahman . The cinematography is by the renowned Madhu Ambat.
An intense role “ Sivappu is a total change from my bubbly roles. I play a construction labourer. It’s an intense performance-driven role. A love story, Sivappu also touches upon issues. I am happy that heroines can now experiment with their choice of characters and performances. It’s a healthy sign,” she says. Rupa who entered the film industry in 2009 has so far done only six films. But she says she always wanted to take one film at time. “Hopefully, I will do back-to-back commercial films now. Initially, I went in for strong characters as I wanted the audience to remember me. It so happened that some of the films took time to release. It has nothing to do with my choice of roles,” she clarifies.
Be it action, horror, family drama or romance, all Rupa looks for is a substantial role that stands out. “Even if I get minimum screen presence, I want to make an impact. That’s my approach to a role. My fans have been sending a lot of congratulatory messages. They want to see more of me in breezy entertainers. So, may be now is the time to dive into such genres.”
Being part of Yaamirukka Bayamey , she says, has been as exciting and thrilling as the movie itself. “We shot for 50 days in a four-storeyed bungalow in Nainital. Our schedules were crazy and there were days when we shot non-stop for over 72 hours. But, all our efforts have paid off. And the best part was being part of a lively, young team. We cracked jokes, made fun of each other, and the bonding kept us in good spirits. Everyone performed so spontaneously and it kept us in splits, especially the scenes that involved the chicken fried rice thirudan ,” she says. Becoming an actor has been a childhood dream. Now, Rupa says, acting is her life. “When I turn 50 I want to be someone like Sridevi. She is such a stunner and an awesome actor.”
