Urvashi stands as a beacon of composure even as congratulatory messages inundate her phone following her sixth Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor (female). The deluge of calls since the announcement on Friday has almost drained her phone battery, yet Urvashi remains astoundingly humble about her latest accolade.
“I don’t think I have done anything extraordinary to win the award,” she asserts modestly. “Viewers kept saying that an award should be given to Urvashi chechi. They predicted I would win an award. Perhaps, that is how I got it.”
This year, Urvashi won the jury over with her evocative portrayal of Leelamma, a grief-stricken mother in Christo Tomy’s ‘Ullozhukku’. Reflecting on the character Leelamma, she speaks fondly of the role. “It was a superb script and a wonderful role. I waited for three to four years for the film to begin. So did Christo. I liked the role, the script, the director. He was the writer as well. My only reservation was doing such a dark film for about 40-plus days.”
Elaborating further, she says, “I would have to be in a mournful mood for all the days of the shoot, weeping all the time. The thought of having to sustain that did make me nervous. Then I felt, this character is destined for me. With that in mind, I decided to enact Leelamma. However, I decided that I would not shed any tears at all although she is a tragic heroine.”
This suppression of outward grief during filming took a significant toll on Urvashi. “Keeping all those grim thoughts bottled up in her during the shoot left her emotionally, physically, and mentally exhausted,” she admits. “I realised how tough it is to weep and lament without shedding tears. If Leelamma were to cry, then I would also feel relieved of that trauma. My cheeks were aching at the end of each day after the shoot. This role was certainly a challenge.”
The exhaustive 45-day shooting schedule led to a fatigue Urvashi had never experienced before. “I took time to regain my composure. What helped was that I had to report on the sets of ‘Jaladhara Pump Set Since 1962’ soon after, where I played a completely different role. That helped me recoup,” she adds.
From her breakout role in K Bhagyaraj’s ‘Mundhanai Mudichu’ (1983) to becoming the heroine in Malayali classics like ‘Ethirpukkal’ (1984) and ‘Ente Ammu Ninte Thulasi Avarude Chakki’ (1985), Urvashi has continually reinvented herself. Despite her diverse portfolio, she underscores the pivotal role of directors and writers in her career. “Actors cannot choose their characters. It is the directors’ belief in an actor that keeps them going.
. Their confidence imbues me with self-confidence to slip into a character’s skin. I have never, ever waited for a director to give me a certain kind of role. I have gone with the flow.”
Urvashi also opens up about her process—or rather, the absence of one. “I never prepare for any role. I don’t know what that is. I have no idea about auditions, workshops, or rehearsals. I go to the location and do what I am told by my directors. Whatever I do when the director says ‘action’, that is my acting. That is all I know.”
Her spontaneity is both a strength and a challenge. “I find it extremely difficult if someone were to tell me to replicate something I had done in a retake,” she admits. This commitment to the moment has allowed her to sidestep the typecasting that has ensnared many of her contemporaries. Even at the peak of her career, she has fearlessly embraced negative roles and imbued them with her signature touch of humor.
Urvashi reminisces about her roles in films like ‘Ponmuttayidunna Tharavu’ and ‘Thalayanamantram’, where she played self-centered, flawed characters. “I enacted those with my brand of humor without aping the ‘vamps’ of the day who used to customarily narrow their eyes or hiss while delivering their lines,” she says with a laugh.
Despite her diverse roles, Urvashi clarifies that she has never based her characters on real people. “There was no time for that when we were shooting films within 12 to 15 days. In the morning, I would be on the set of a film. We had to get ready within 10 to 15 minutes and face the camera and do what the director told us. By noon, I would have to go to another location. There would be shooting for other movies in the evening and at night. What kind of preparation could I do under those circumstances? My directors were my teachers. They had a clear vision and they gave me the freedom to improvise and interpret a character as I saw her.”
She concludes with a candid reflection on her craft: “I don’t know how to act. My directors would tell me, ‘Urvashi, just do this role naturally, as you see it’. Going forward, too, I don’t plan to dwell on awards or past characters. I live in the present.”
As for her aspirations, Urvashi remains committed to her craft. “I want to act in a wide variety of roles. Fortunately, I have always been able to access that diversity in my filmography. That is why I say I owe it to my directors and writers.”
Thus, Urvashi continues to captivate audiences and critics alike, embodying roles that are as complex and varied as life itself, all while remaining grounded and genuine in her approach to acting.
