Aishwarya Lekshmi: King of Kotha is mounted on a scale 100 times more than what I thought was possible in Malayalam

King of Kotha’s pan-Indian promotion was the second such tour for Aishwarya Lekshmi this year, following Ponniyin Selvan: II. But what made it different this time was that it was the first-of-its-kind for a Malayalam film, especially one that could chart a new course for the industry – which is yet to deliver its first-ever pan-Indian hit.

In an exclusive interview with OTTplay, ahead of the Dulquer Salmaan-starrer’s release on August 24, Aishwarya tells us about the experience of working in the film, why she feels it could be a gamechanger and how Dulquer being on board the movie has helped “protect” the filmmaker’s vision.

How different has the acceptance been to your work from people across industries during this promotional tour, because you have done films such as Gargi, Ammu and Gatta Kusthi in the past year along with the Ponniyin Selvan films?

Even though the screen time of Poonguzheli (her character in PS:2) was short, because the character was loved from the novel, it reflected in their response to me as well. I was only following whatever Mani (Ratnam) sir said and I think I am just reaping the benefits of being part of a good film.

I don’t want to take credit for being part of Ammu or Gargi, because I have trouble accepting appreciation. I just feel I don’t deserve it, but I am trying to get better at it. During King of Kotha promotions, I was so glad that people still spoke to me about Maayanadhi. There was this interview in Chennai, in which a person first introduced DQ (Dulquer) and then me and said that she’s a big Maayanadhi addict. In Mumbai, they were familiar with Ammu and though they couldn’t pronounce the name (Gatta Kusthi), they loved the film in which I played a wrestler.

Also read: Aishwarya reveals her biggest takeaway from working in Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan 

It was interesting to see that my films have travelled far and wide, and people have enjoyed them. That’s what we work for, to get that joy and appreciation from the audience.

Is that a major affirmation for you? Because you have been selective about the kind of films from the start of your career and especially, when you had back-to-back hits.

I chose the best films from the ones that I was offered. I got an opportunity like Gargi, fundamentally because of the trust between everyone that was involved – from the technicians to those who were putting in the money. We had the belief that even if we had lost money, our relationship would still be intact. That’s what also gave me the confidence to be the producer of Gargi.

Also read: Aishwarya Lekshmi: I am still an actor who believes in spontaneity rather than the process 

Circling back to my career, I have followed every actress’ career and how our industry has been progressing for the longest time as an outsider, as a member of the audience. I feel that somehow gave me clarity on my career path, at least till now. Going forward, I don’t know how I am going to navigate it because it’s very tricky and I am extremely scared. But till now, it has helped me that I have been an outsider. Whatever little I know of cinema, I have watched it as an audience – to enjoy the films. It brings in a different perspective of somebody who didn’t have any inside information of what was happening in cinema. That has helped me.

You are part of King of Kotha, which is releasing at a time when the industry badly needs a huge hit and if it does become one, it could be a seminal film that would pave the way to a lot more of such projects in Malayalam. But as a viewer, why should the audience watch King of Kotha?

I heard the narration of the film as a viewer, to gauge if I was watching it in theatres, would I be interested as the plot progressed? That’s the major reason I said ‘yes’. Of course, the other factors were, ‘who else was part of the team?’ and ‘would they be able to pull it off?’

There’s one thing that Dulquer says, that I had almost forgotten. After the narration, we spoke over the phone and I said, ‘I found this very interesting, but how are you going to do it?’ It’s because it was conceived on a huge scale and would have only been that great if it was mounted in that way.

Also read: King of Kotha trailer: 6 moments from Dulquer Salmaan’s gangster film that has got us excited for its release 

When I first went to the sets, they had mounted it 100 times better than what I had thought was possible for a Malayalam film. I cannot explain it. The entire town of Kotha was built on a place that was barren a few months ago. Every scene, every visual, including the palette used for these, have been carefully designed to a T. That effort was put in just to provide the theatrical experience.

It was also because the producers, Wayfarer Films, were sure that people were coming to theatres for that immersive experience and who better than a bankable star like DQ to pull off such a big film? He’s the one you can take a calculated risk on. If I was a producer, I would surely bet on him.

Also read: Dulquer Salmaan: The next stage of my career is to lose myself and delve deep into my characters 

The film’s story also doesn’t progress in a linear path. Our life also takes twists and turns, and we are talking about the story of a town. Each character, instead of taking the story forward, pulls it from each side; that’s the kind of narrative King of Kotha has. I feel it will be extremely interesting for the audience. There’s a lot of engaging elements – drama, romance, emotions and also dance numbers that people can celebrate inside a theatre. I feel there’s no better time than Onam for such a movie to release. 

That’s high praise, especially because you are coming from the Ponniyin Selvan films, where everything was mounted on a massive scale. In comparison, King of Kotha is made on a fraction of that budget. And to top it all, it’s a debutant filmmaker who is at the helm. From an artiste’s point of view, how well did Abhilash Joshiy rise up to that challenge?

I don’t judge my director when I am on sets or doing my shots. I would do that prior to me getting on board. I would look at how they would explain a scene or if they could clear my doubts and bring out my best. I am also comparatively new and I have no formal education in cinema, so I don’t know how to gauge talent or expertise.

Also read: King of Kotha director Abhilash Joshiy: I now know why my dad is a tough taskmaster with a quick temper 

Once I start shooting, because I have worked with Mani sir and Aashiq Abu, I would think that this person’s approach to a particular scene is exactly like Mani sir’s. When it comes to Abhilash chettan, I think he hasn’t given any room to himself to commit even a single mistake. He was extremely cautious. Most of the scenes we had done, he never took a chance; as in, he had enough options when it came to the editing floor.

He also never took it for granted or compromised in any way because his friend (Dulquer) is acting and producing it. He has gone out completely to ensure that the movie is foolproof. I felt he has extracted the best from everybody.

Being one of the biggest films to come out, was there also a sense of responsibility among the cast and crew to bring out the best? And did Dulquer producing the movie also help in that regard?

I think Dulquer producing the movie helped because it was protected. It’s not like we had to shoot the movie in these many days or we had a set release date. Things like that happen in our industry often, when big films are concerned. Sometimes producers cut corners, in fact, the wrong corners. For instance, they reduce the budget for areas that actually require that amount and so, you end up not doing things that matter the most.

That way, because Dulquer was involved in the filming and he was seeing everything that was happening, he was able to protect the film. When it needed extra amount of money, he was ready to pump it in and make sure that the final output was the best. They worked on the post production for so long. It has taken almost a year – the shoot and post.

I feel if a film has a good screenplay and a storyline, it can surpass anything. I feel every element has clicked in this movie, from what I have seen. I have been travelling with this film for a while now and I feel confident about that. Everything else is destiny and is already written. In cinema, more than anything else, it plays a big role.