Not just for Lokah, Santhy Balachandran was stickler for perfection even in her debut film, vouches 4.5 Gang co-star Sanju Sivram | Exclusive

Sanju Sivram, who has acted with Santhy Balachandran in her first film Tharangam and 4.5 Gang, says the actress always put in much effort and is particular about how her character is portrayed.

Santhy Balachandran, Sanju Sivram

Lokah Chapter 1 Chandra is being celebrated for narrating a woman superhero tale, that too by avoiding the many pitfalls that male filmmakers inevitably tend to make. Actress Santhy Balachandran, who has co-written the film with Dominic Arun, was particular about the nuances of the lead character played by Kalyani Priyadarshan. Now, actor Sanju Sivram, who has collaborated with Santhy in her very first film Tharangam and the most recent The Chronicles of the 4.5 Gang, says that it is not surprising, given how the actress has always poured in much effort into her scenes and is particular about how her character is portrayed.

Sanju Sivram on Lokah co-writer Santhy Balachandran

Actor Sanju Sivram plays the lead role in the Malayalam web series The Chronicles of the 4.5 Gang, which also features Santhy Balachandran in the role of Kingini. In an exclusive interview with OTTplay, Sanju Sivram recounts how well-prepared Santhy was even for her debut film, Tharangam, which was also helmed by Lokah director Dominic Arun.

“I have worked with Santhy before in Tharangam. She is a very exciting human. I heard about her from others. I saw Santhy always with the script, and I noticed that she had clearly written down notes for each of the scenes. I found it very impressive,” Sanju recounted.

“Because for each scene, she was making that much effort. Maybe those scenes didn’t require that much effort, but she approaches them with that much honesty. I found it to be a great learning experience. She would write everything down in a notepad, and marked with sticknotes - with explanations for each. That excited me a lot,” remarked Sanju, who played a small character Nandu in Tharangam, which starred Tovino Thomas in the lead.

Santhy Balachandran in 4.5 Gang

In Krishand’s series 4.5 Gang, Santhy plays the cutesy Kingini, the love interest of Arikuttan (played by Sanju Sivram), but eventually ditches him.

“In 4.5 Gang, Santhy’s character is not very big, it is what you call a typical ‘Theppukari’ character (a Malayalam slang used to refer to a woman who ditches her boyfriend when she finds someone better). Even Krishand felt that her character was not depicted correctly and it was planned that we would work on it, on the go. Krishand said that no matter how much we try to write from a woman’s point of view, it would not come out right or it should be a character that has a longer screen space. Santhy was given that space and she worked on it, making that ‘Theppukari’ character become a person with identity. Because of that, it was possible to place that character beautifully,” explained Sanju on Santhy’s contribution to 4.5 Gang.

On Lokah’s massive success at the box office, Sanju Sivram said that he is happy, adding that director Dominic Arun is also a friend.

“When we asked Santhy about Lokah, she was like she was only a small part of it. I didn’t know she was being so humble. Maybe she said that, so we wouldn’t ask for a chance (in the movie),” Sanju said jokingly.

Also read: Lokah Chapter 1 Chandra box office collection day 20: How much more Kalyani Priyadarshan film needs to topple Empuraan from top spot

The Chronicles of the 4.5 Gang or Sambhava Vivaranam Nalarasangham, helmed by Krishand, is now streaming on SonyLiv via OTTplay Premium.

FAQs

Q. Where can I watch Santhy Balachandran movies?

A. You can watch Santhy Balachandran movies such as Tharangam and the acclaimed Jallikattu on OTTplay Premium.

Q. Is Santhy Balachandran also a writer?

A. Yes, Santhy Balachandran is also a writer. She co-wrote the script for Lokah: Chapter 1 Chandra, which has turned out to be a blockbuster hit.

Q. Where to watch 4.5 Gang on OTT?

A. You can watch The Chronicles of the 4.5 Gang or Sambhava Vivaranam Nalarasangham on SonyLiv via OTTplay Premium.

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