A prisoner of her mature self
By Ashraf Padanna

She is perhaps the most mature actress in the Malayalam film field. More than 300 films in total (both Malayalam and Tamil), a lot of awards and a wide range of highly applauded characters she enlivened have not given Urvasi undue arrogance. In the peak of her career, piecing together the breaks between her tight schedules at studios and locales, she gave time for MP Sukumaran Nair's award winning Kazhakam in 1995, without taking a single penny as remuneration (Bruce Willis would take four more years to show that gesture for an Indian director's film Sixth Sense). It is now a lull period for Urvasi after her recent marriage with co-star Manoj K Jayan.

Filmwallahs say theirs was the most matured love affair they have ever seen. When Manoj and Urvasi were shooting for Venkalam (the Bronze), a movie that tells the story of those who mould bronze lamps and utensils in the traditional methods using clay and firewood hearths, Manoj and Urvasi were moulding a love of their own. It was time to have a love off-screen after so many affairs on the reel. She would come back soon to resume her unparalleled performance that never ceases to surprise the sensible filmgoers of Kerala.

Urvasi has proved beyond any dispute to depict any character she takes up: Be it the uniformed school girl of Yuvajanotsavam, the aristocratic and tragedy-stricken beauty of Mizhineerpookkal or the graceful wife torn between the jealousy of her husband and the respect of his brother. She has never been a glamour girl. That is the last thing she wants to be. Coming from a family that eats, drinks and lives films (she is sister of actresses Kalaranjini and Kalpana), Urvasi never wanted to get involved in controversies. When Kazhakam won the state award for best film and she was adjudged the best actress for 1995, judging committee member Seema, who made it big in movies with those characters that wore clothes that revealed more than they concealed, made a hue and cry about it. Urvasi just ignored it. "She is made not of such vulnerable stuff. She is resolute and intelligent. Perhaps the most mature and intelligent lady of the Malayalam film world," Sasidharan, Sukumaran Nair's production executive says about the row.

What does Urvasi herself thinks of her career? "I thought acting in films was a burden. You have to be very serious at such a tender age (She was 14 when she acted in Bhagyaraj's Tamil movie Munthanai Mudichu). After the first film, I felt like returning to my studies. Suddenly, you become very important, very serious. That is unbearable. However, slowly I realised the advantage of being a film actress. People recognise you wherever you go and extend a helping hand. When I went to Kanjeepuram to receive an award, I saw people thronging to get a glimpse. I realised how much the people adored film stars, especially in Tamil Nadu. That moment, I decided to stay," says Urvasi.

Excerpts from an interview with Urvasi