With Love actor Anaswara Rajan: There is grief in letting go of every character after the last shot | EXCLUSIVE

Anaswara Rajan, a household name in Malayalam cinema, thanks to her films like Rekhachithram and Super Sharanya, is coming back to Tamil cinema after a while, since her releases like Raangi and Thugs. But as she promotes for her upcoming Tamil film With Love, Anaswara says, “To be honest, it feels like a debut,” in conversation with OTTplay. She continues, “I have done two films before, but now I have done a full-fledged character. I am excited to meet the audience, and since it’s a rom-com, I feel there will be good expectations among audience too. I am super excited for the film’s release.”

With Love: What is Anaswara Rajan’s character?

With Love is a romantic comedy, that of two individuals who are set for a blind date and realise they were once schoolmates. Talking about the genre itself, Anaswara confesses that she is a big fan of romantic comedies. “I am a big fan of love stories, both reading books and watching movies. I am a hopeless romantic. When you shoot a rom-com, even the sets are chill,” Anaswara says.

While most films often restrict talking about the man’s side of love, the actor says With Love has a point of view from a woman too. She adds, “Usually, it is the hero’s break-up, his feelings and their emotions tend to get prioritised. But that is where With Love gets interesting. As much as the film talks about Sathya (Abishan’s role), and his past relationships, it talks about Monisha, my character’s past too.”

Also read: With Love movie 2026: Release date, plot, cast and crew, trailer, OTT platform; All about Abishan Jeevinth-Anaswara Rajan film

Talking a little more about Monisha, Anaswara says she is a girl of today’s generation and that if she meets her, Monisha is a girl that Anaswara would be friends with. “She is open, opinionated, and what I love about her, and also appreciate Madhan (director) is that, when it comes to Monisha’s school portion, it breaks the myths that heroines are connected to. Like studious, walks in slow-motion, and polite. Monisha is not so feminine and breaks the stereotypes,” she adds.

Anaswara, whose latest film Champion is in Telugu, talks about the varying performance meter when it comes to languages. Having worked in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam, Anaswara says that each industry has got a flavour. “Malayalam cinema demands a certain natural flavour, while Tamil cinema needs commercial elements, and Telugu cinema needs both high energy and commercial stuff. I am a kind of a person who enjoys all these forms of cinema, from being eventful to subtle,” Anaswara says.

How is it different acting in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam?

The actor says that as she started with Malayalam, it required grounded acting, and when she did Champion, she had to do over-the-top performance. “I love it. I am someone who is a little more of energy and hyper. So, I really enjoyed it. In Tamil cinema, it is mix of Telugu and Malayalam. As an actor, I like to adapt and never like to settle for one type. I want to know what the audience want and deliver exactly that.”

Anaswara began acting at the age of 15, and she says that there are both pros and cons of starting early. Even as she began to earn at a young age, her teenage years were also spent in working. Agreeing to this, Anaswara says, “I am someone who looks like in casual sense, but I would have gone for a creative field and earned. I knew what I wanted, but didn’t know what I needed. That is when I entered cinema and I understood this is my passion. I have dabbled in activities, but never was consistent. After coming to cinema, I understood how I was consistent. So, I weigh the pros over cons, despite me having missed some of my teen years.”

Also read: Champion movie actor Anaswara Rajan: With Love is the only film I said yes to within one day, I had to do it...

Coming from a non-filmy background and the first actor from her family, Anaswara when asked about if she adapted to having a good work-life balance, says that she is a workaholic. The actor says, “I like running from one set to another, travel across cities. When I get a break, I visit my family. But I never had any issue in balancing for I love working. Plus, I have never had much responsibilities so far that have come in between my work.”

Are there takeaways after every project? Anaswara answers that there are subconscious ones. “We have a difficult lifestyle, and nothing is certain. Once the character is over, it is about how you will never get to be that person ever again. There is a grief for some moments. When you look at yourself as that character on the mirror on the caravan, you have some takeaways, even if they are not outwardly shown. It’s like a friend who was always with that, and won’t be hereafter.”

After With Love, Anaswara has another Telugu film Itllu Arjuna in the pipeline, along with couple of Tamil films like Lucky The Superstar, which will release on JioHotstar on February 20.

Anaswara Rajan FAQs

Q. Which was the first film of Anaswara Rajan?

A. Anaswara Rajan made her debut with 2017 Malayalam flick Udaharanam Sujatha.

Q. Why is Anaswara Rajan famous?

A. Anaswara Rajan rose to fame with her acting stints in films like Rekhachithram , Super Sharanya, (on OTTplay Premium) in which she displayed impressive performance.

Q. What is Anaswara Rajan's next film?

A. With Love is Anaswara Rajan's next film to release.