Anna Ben on ‘Kottukkaali’, transcending boundaries and making dream debuts in Tamil and Telugu

Anna Ben Interview on PS Vinothraj and Soori’s Kottukkaali, transcending boundaries and making dream debuts in Tamil and Telugu

One of the best takeaways from the pan-Indian film trend is the trading of talents between industries and the latest to cross borders and make her Tamil debut is Malayalam actor Anna Ben, known for films like Kumbalangi Nights, Helen and Kappela. While she recently made her Telugu debut with Kalki 2898 AD, she has opted for Koozhangaldirector PS Vinothraj’s sophomore outingKottukkaali, in Tamil.“More than the language, it was culturally different from me,” says Anna who connected with us on a call from Ireland. “Ennaku Tamil pesa mudiyum... so communicating was not an issue. But I needed more homework to figure out the cultural differences, and that’s what attracted me to the project as well.”

It was Vinoth who helped her prepare for the role. “He gave me the confidence and it was an exciting project from the get-go. It’s a powerful film and nothing would have stopped me from doing it,” says Anna who plays a character with minimal lines but a myriad of emotions. “Meena (her character in the film) has so many layers and much history with the entire family. All of it is very nuanced and my challenge was to communicate it without being dramatic. There was a lot of back and forth with the director on how to play a certain emotion and conveying it. I had a lot of homework to do on her backstory, including her childhood and the rebellion she had in her past.”

The film starts right in the thick of action introducing Meena and her extended family. “The film does not have a general introduction to the incident that’s at the centre of it all. The viewers are made to assume there have been multiple quarrels regarding the matter, and that she would have already spoken a lot before the point where the film kicks off; she’s at a space where she has done it all and now her silence is all that she’s got to show her rebellion,” says Anna on how the contrast of her character from the others, gave her the space to play with it. “The louder everybody gets, the quieter and stronger she becomes.”

Despite headlining films like Helenand Sara’s, Anna is quick to dismiss that she is not deliberately picking up films which feature her as the central character. “Helen started it all; it helped me gain confidence on how to carry a character. The production and director Mathu chettan(Mathukutty Xavier) took such a risk considering it was just my second film, and gave me the opportunity and courage. That worked out after Helen and people felt I could take up such characters. More than being the titular character or female-centric films, these films end up true to the story and that’s what drew me to them,” says Anna who feels Kottukkaali is an extension to that list. “People might wonder why one might take up a quiet character with a nothing-to-do attitude but there’s so much of essence in it with a lot of material to work with. It’s also unlike what I’ve done before, so I can’t compare Kottukkaali with my previous films.” (smiles)

Though she has just one bit of dialogue in the film, Anna calls the “fight scene” in the film as the most challenging aspect of Kottukkaali. “In terms of physicality, there was a lot of strain put on each one of us. Then there was the balancing of the camera, the sound, the timing and also making sure no one gets really hurt. Getting the coordination on point was difficult and we had to do it multiple times as it was a long shot. Personally, challenges also included the detailed, small shots where I had to hold the emotion and convey something without dialogue.”

Kottukkaali had a dream run on the festive circuit and Anna attended the premieres at the Berlinale and Transilvania International film festivals. “Initially, I was nervous to see people who are so distant from our culture and I was unsure how they could connect with a rooted film like Kottukkaali. But they connected so well that they asked detailed questions about it which surprised all of us. The feedback we got was amazing and it gave us more confidence to present it to our people.”

When pointed out that what she has been doing is working out well for her, Anna smiles and says, “Stories are what matter to me the most and I’ve stuck on to it from right after Kumbalangi Nights, irrespective of the genre or whether they belonged to the indie space.”