When you think of Aparna Balamurali, some of her strong roles pop into your mind. Her character as the vivacious Jimsy in the Malayalam film Maheshinte Prathikaram is endearing. This comedy drama where she starred opposite Fahadh Faasil went on to bag many awards. Another big milestone in her career was playing the role of Bommi in Soorarai Pottru, the wife who supports her husband’s seemingly impossible dream of starting a budget airline while becoming an entrepreneur herself. Directed by Sudha Kongara and starring Suriya in the lead, it won her a National Award. She describes this as a ‘life-changing journey’. And now it’s her role in Dhanush’s Raayan that’s being talked about.

Besides being an accomplished actress, Aparna is also a playback singer. Singing runs in her genes, her father KP Balamurali is a music director and mother Shobha Balamurali, a playback singer. She says, “My parents have definitely helped me select a career I wanted. Both my parents were particular that I did not lose art because of academics. They both pushed me to do the best in what I liked, they have never been a barrier and always supported me. I am a trained singer. Now, I am training under Karthika Vaidyanathan. She’s the one who sang Kangal Edho. Music is something I love, it’s always been in my family.”

Her latest film Raayan is Dhanush’s 50th film and his second directorial venture, a gangster drama that features an ensemble cast comprising S.J. Suryah, Prakash Raj, Selvaraghavan, Sundeep Kishan, Kalidas Jayaram, Dushara Vijayan, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar and Aranthangi Nisha.

Speaking about her role in Raayan, she says, “My role as Meghala is that of a very bold woman who is fun-loving. A very spontaneous character who doesn’t listen to anyone else. She does whatever she feels right and never bothers about who is in front of her. I absolutely enjoyed it. I play Sundeep Kishan pair. “Though it’s a bold role, this is not at all like the one in Soorarai Pottru. It was a much mature character. Meghala is bold she does what she feels like doing, she does not think about it.

“When someone like Dhanush calls me for a movie he’s directing, I do not go much into what my character is and all. I was very happy that I got to do a film like this with him directing and all that. And with a cast like this I felt honoured to do it.”

We asked her what her experience working with Dhanush was like. “Dhanush complimented me the first day when we finished shooting. Initially, I was very scared and we were having that Director-Actor relationship. He also did not talk too much, so I was worried if he was fine with my work. I think when it became ok in the first two takes, he said very good, it was nice, I was happy. After that he was very chilled out on the sets and all of us became one gang. It was nice working with him. It was not just appreciation or criticism, he was genuine about everything he did on set. Every role has its own challenges, The first day of every film I panic, I get worried.”

We quizzed her on how it felt having an actor-turned-director directing her. She responded, “Some directors act and tell us how to do it. When it’s a star and actor like Dhanush Sir, he has the calibre to show exactly what he wants onscreen. That has helped us a lot. I was very surprised, it was so inspiring to see a star like him working so much. He does not wait for anything to come or anyone to come, he just does his part very clearly. He has the patience to let us understand what exactly he wants. He doesn’t give up till he gets what he wants.

“Sir just kept pulling our legs on the set, for him we were like a bunch of naughty kids in a room, he felt like a teacher. He was happy to handle all of us and if something did not work, he would scold us, it felt as if we were at home just as the movie portrays.”

Besides Dhanush, there were two other directors S.J. Surya and Selvaraghavan as part of the cast. Speaking about them, she opines, “Selvaraghavan barely spoke S.J. Surya enjoyed the whole process and he was completely into it. He was the life of party, this totally cool, fun person. So even if we didn’t have work, me and Kalidas would go to the set and watch what they were doing. We actually enjoyed seeing all of them work. It was a huge inspiration to see Dhanush and S.J. Surya in their true element. To even watch S.J. Surya act was a delight.

“I actually like being in an ensemble cast, for one you make a lot of friends. End of the day when you are looking back, you have really good friends like Kalidas, Dushara Vijayan, Dhanush Sir and the crew, so many of them. It is a fun way to look at it. I felt really happy. We helped each other, we felt like we were Sir’s kutty gang there. It was a delight.”

What are her favourite roles? “The roles close to my heart are from Maheshinte Prathikaram and Soorarai Pottru and a Malayalam movie Sundari Gardens. I was very happy doing Soorarai Pottru, it’s been a milestone, I still keep a good connection with Sudha mam and she guides me.

“My role in Sundari Gardens had a lot of emotions, it was a very different character. Raayan’s character is also very close to my heart, a very fun-loving kutty rowdy character. It has a lot of beautiful moments woven around each of the characters.”

How does she prep for her roles? “For most of the characters, I definitely read the script and think about it. Sometimes I sit down to think how I can convey it to the audience or do it differently. Some things work in a very spontaneous way, sometimes a lot of homework does not work on the set, it might look very mechanical. It depends on the character and on set I do whatever I feel and like bringing something new.

“For instance, it’s the way I say my dialogues, I don’t exactly by heart everything and speak the dialogues. I always read them, understand and then convey. I don’t always go by the word-by-word dialogue and thankfully my directors are ok with that till date. For me personally, I like it that way.”

How does she pick films? “I see if I have something to offer to the film which I have to do and if its huge. I do films if my friends are doing a film, then I don’t look if its huge or something. As a person, that gives me a satisfaction. The comfort and self-satisfaction are what are important.
Does she find a difference working with Malayalam and Tamil films? “The work timing is different. We have a longer per day work schedule in Malayalam, in Tamil it’s just more shorter and little more convenient. Malayalam films feel like home. I don’t nitpick, I just walk into the sets like it’s my home.”

When asked if she would pick between singing or acting, she replied, “I am not going to completely move into something or the other, it’s perfectly okay to do both, I started off as an actor so I am never going to leave acting. I will do both as I long as I can.

What does she like to do when she is free? “If I get free, I watch a series, movie or go to a café and have a cup of coffee especially in the monsoon with my best friends. I like a casual pair of jeans and top. I usually dress casually unless once in a while I dress up for an occasion, if I am going to see friends, a frock and some basic little make up.

When quizzed on her next project, she says, “I am listening to a lot of scripts.” Does she have a dream role? “You never know what’s your dream role in cinema, there’s something new every day and experiments. Till I can do this, to explore the best is cinema is what I am aiming for.”