Mumbai-based model Isha Talwar does a star turn in
Vineeth Sreenivasan's ‘Thattathin
Marayathu’
By
Shevlin Sebastian
It
is 10 p.m. in Mumbai. Isha Talwar is returning in a car to her home
after a 11-hour shoot for 'Bacardi', with Taha Shah, an upcoming
Bollywood actor. But she is in good spirits. Because her debut
film, ‘Thattathin Marayathu’ , has got
a thumbs-up from the audience.
Isha
plays Aisha, a Muslim girl, who has been living in Thalassery
all her life. “She is a small-town girl whose mother passed away
when Aisha was very young,” says Isha. “Aisha has a father
[played by Sreenivasan], and an uncle [Ramu].” It is a protective,
rather than a conservative Muslim family. The elders let Aisha go to
college. Which is how she falls in love with Vinod [Navin Pauly]. So,
it is a campus love story.
So
how did a Mumbai-based model, who does not speak Malayalam, get a
break in Mollywood? “I had been modelling for Dhathri Fairness
Cream,” says Isha. “The cinematographer, Jomon T. John,
recommended my name to Vineeth [Sreenivasan].”
They
met up at Kochi. Isha did a screen test, and passed. In order to
prepare for the role, she learnt her dialogues from a Malayalam
teacher, Brinda Nair, in Mumbai and got help from her Keralite
friends. “I also had to learn how to do the namaaz, and play the
guitar,” says Isha. “My voice was not much of a concern, because
the dubbing was going to be done by actress Apoorva Bose.”
But
in order that Isha could become comfortable, Vineeth asked her to
come to the set at Thalassery a week prior to the shooting.
“Initially, I felt jittery,” she says. “But I was made to feel
so welcome by the other cast members and crew. When my own scenes
were shot I felt at ease.”
Soon,
she became friendly with the other actors like Aju Varghese. “Twenty
days into the shoot, Aju told me that they were worried about whether
a Mumbai model could come into the Malayalam film industry and be
able to pull it off,” says Isha.
Of
course, she was able to pull it off because she got the biggest help
from the director. “Much before I came
to Thalassery, I had several telephonic conversations with Vineeth,”
she says. “Aisha, the character, was very clear in his mind, but he
gave me room to improvise. There were times when Vineeth made me hear
a particular music and say, 'Isha, when I was writing this scene, I
was thinking of this song.'”
Isha also liked the fact that Vineeth
is a cool and laid-back guy. “He
is so motivating all the time,” she says. “If there is something
that is not working during a particular scene Vineeth will tell me it
is good, but there is a little bit more that he needs. He looks happy
all the time.”
And
in her first film itself, Isha got a chance to act opposite the great
Sreenivasan, who plays her father.
“Sreenivasan Sir's persona is
electrifying on the sets,” she says. “In spite of being a legend,
he made me feel relaxed. I have scenes where I break down and hug
him. He helps you so much that you end up performing better. In
short, he is a consummate professional.”
And
clearly, the film has touched a chord, especially among the Muslim
girls of Thalassery. “They told me the film is so true to life,”
says Isha. “It is a Hindu-Muslim love story. That has had an
impact, because it is so difficult to have such a relationship in
India now. A lot of people have to sacrifice their love, because of
the barriers caused by religion.”
On
the other hand, Isha is jumping barriers. This busy model has done a
music video with Hrithik Roshan for the 'Just Dance' competition, a
Dulux paint advertisement with Shahid Kapoor and Boman Irani, as well
as a VIP Skybags promotion with John Abraham. “So far, I have done
about 40 advertisements,” she says. At present, Isha has received a
few offers from Mollywood as well as Bollywood, and is mulling over
it.
But
clearly cinema is in her blood. Her father, Vinod Talwar, who works
for producer Boney Kapoor, has been in Bollywood for the past 30
years, directing and producing films. “My dad is proud of my
performance in ‘Thattathin
Marayathu’,” says Isha. And the father gave one valuable acting
tip to the daughter. “Find the moment of truth in every scene and
perform accordingly,” says Isha.
(The New Indian Express, Kerala)
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