Thrishanku star Anna Ben: Arjun Ashokan and I have been underdogs in terms of the kind of films we want to do

In the span of four years, Malayalam actress Anna Ben has managed to prove that she’s an unparalleled talent, through his performances in Kumbalangi Nights, Helen, Kappela and most recently Kaapa. Her latest movie Thrishanku has her playing her first all-out fun role along with Arjun Ashokan.

In an exclusive interview with OTTplay, Anna talks about her upcoming movie, the current phase in her career and how the scripts coming her way have changed post pandemic. Excerpts from the interview.

People got to hear that you were part of a film called Thrishanku after it was canned and gearing up for its release. It’s got a stellar team backing it was well. So, how did the project happen?

I was approached by the film’s director Achyuth Vinayak. It was his debut film and I am known to collaborate with debutants. I am excited to work with first-time directors because they are so enthusiastic about their debut movie. Achyuth had previously assisted Priyadarshan sir and he wanted to do a fun film. I had been doing gritty films where my characters were going through a lot of struggles and trauma, and so I felt that I wanted to try a fun movie too.

The one-liner he had pitched was that while a couple is trying to elope, another does the same and the former’s plan fails. That was interesting. These were the kind of films we would watch in the early 2000s that had a lot of fun, actors, chaos and music. That’s exactly what this film offers.

Achyuth also told me that Matchbox Pictures will be producing. They had backed Andhadhun and Monica, O My Darling, and so if they were on board, I was sure they would have spotted something interesting in the film. So, I was sold.

When a production house outside the Malayalam film industry steps in, are they very hands-on in terms of the film’s making?

It depends actually. Matchbox Pictures is known to be very hands-on, in the sense that they are involved from the initial creative level to the production and getting it out to the market. They are there in every step of the way, which I find great because sometimes production can be just about the numbers and that can be difficult. Content is important for them and that’s the reason they decided to do Thrishanku. I am sure they could have had any actor on board and done a big film, but they always prioritise content over everything else. They are also big admirers of the Malayalam industry and that’s why they wanted to do a movie here.

They were also excited about Arjun and I teaming up for this film. It was the first time that we were working together.

Both Arjun and you have done a slew of films, got a good number of hits and have endeared to the audience. How do you look at this period in your career?

I think both Arjun and I have a lot of similarities in terms of how we come to the industry, the kind of films we have done and our families; both of us have a film background. We have both tried to create our own space. He has auditioned for a lot of movies and I got my debut film after an audition. We have always been underdogs, if that’s the right word to use. We have tried to pick roles – be it big or small – so we could be part of a good movie. We had this conversation and he also said that he tries to do whatever comes his way. He has never been fussy about being the lead in a big production.

He has had back-to-back hits now and he’s really excited about this movie as well. However, Trishanku is my first release this year. That said, we are both taking time to do our movies. It’s not that we want to be part of big films, but we want to do movies that prioritise good quality work.

Post pandemic, there’s a been a push for movies that can be made in relatively smaller budgets and appeal to the youth, who form the bulk of the audience who are watching movies in theatres. Is that change evident in terms of the scripts that are finding you too?

I think the pandemic has changed a lot of things. The kind of subjects that came to me in 2019 and post pandemic are very different. The taste of the audience has changed drastically. The rise of OTTs has also changed a lot of things for the producers as well. There are now movies made for OTTs and for theatres.

But I don’t think just because you make a movie with a smaller budget and release it, it will work. At the end of the day, people want films with quality – no matter how big or small they are. Even if it’s a small, contained plot; the content has to have a certain value to get people to the theatres. It has to have elements to bring a community to cinema halls and entertain them, else it will never work.

I feel like post pandemic, some OTT releases worked and it became a trend to do movies of that pattern. But in the past few months, very few films have worked in theatres. Some of the movies had interesting stories and good performances and yet people weren’t willing to come to theatres and preferred to wait for OTT releases. So, what’s lacking is the quality of theatrical experience. To bring a community to theatre is important for the movie to sustain its run.

Romancham is a good example. It did incredibly well because it was so entertaining. People wanted to go to theatres to watch it because they wanted to sit with the others and laugh. We won’t get that impact for OTT releases. That’s what people are looking for; be it a youthful movie or a spectacle like 2018, these movies have to deliver.

Does Thrishanku, being a theatrical release, lend itself to this experience?

We would like to believe that it was entertaining because we were entertained while working on it. It is a fun movie. The community-watch experience is something that I have enjoyed. We have missed that now because for a considerable time, we didn’t have such movies coming out because we shifted to thrillers and fun comedies were sparse. We wanted to do something like Priyan sir’s comedies. Thrishanku is a movie that I feel confident would make people laugh and also dance because we have killer music in the film.