Angammal’s story, camera needed me: Geetha Kailasam

CHENNAI: From being a chartered accountant to working in TV production, theatre and later films, Geetha Kailasam has taken the road less travelled. The latest feather in her cap is that of playing the lead role in the award-winning Angammal, which has earned international acclaim and is set for its commercial release on December 5. The film centres on a strong-willed mother whose refusal to wear a blouse clashes with her son’s newly acquired urban ideals.

Knowing she would be offered mother roles because she “had a late-started career”, Geetha has still brought nuance to each one, with angst and humour, making even small parts memorable and showing she is far more than a “Kollywood mother”. She refuses to be boxed in and continues to push herself, including through writing short stories, which she calls her true “calling”.

She is also vocal about the need for diverse roles for women over 45, imagining them as leads, not only as mothers.

Excerpts from the chat:

1. What was your entry point into Angammal?

I was looking for interesting roles. At the time, I had not acted in many films. By the time post-production for Angammal was done, almost two years had passed since I shot, and seven or eight of my films had been released. It was exciting to get a lead role, but challenges like smoking beedi and acting without a blouse were new for me. I had to feel natural in it, and that was the time I had even started wearing sleeveless clothes for the first time. The interesting subject, a Malayalam director with Tamil writers adapting a Perumal Murugan short story… it was all exciting, and as a late starter wanting to be an actor, it was like the camera and story needed me. What else do I need?

2. How did you approach Angammal’s choice not to wear a blouse in your performance?

I thought about it and even asked my daughter. Before telling anyone, I started wearing a saree without a blouse at home, moving around to see what I was hesitating about. I realised it was nothing, it is a very normal thing. I thought then, this will be my first challenge.

3. You had to ride a motorcycle and learn to smoke a beedi for Angammal, right?

I had learned to ride when Kinetic Honda was introduced, but I completely lost touch. So, I resumed riding classes to get comfortable. The road was terrible, with mud, bumps, and it was a very old TVS 50/TVS XL, fortunately I never had a fall. But on the last day, the silencer gave me a burn.

Also, I have never been a smoker, so I had to practice lighting and holding the beedi. The assistant would light it for me, but I practised holding and smoking it without taking it in. I asked the director if it was necessary, but as we filmed, I realised it was something the character needed for herself. In this film, you can't predict what she’s thinking, but you can feel it through these moments. In that way, the bike and the beedi helped as props.

4. What note or direction did director Vipin Radhakrishnan give you for Angammal?

The director and team found Sundari paati in Tirunelveli. She was tall, very brisk, working from 4 am to 10 pm. When she saw us, she would get a soda, make dosa, and host us. Two men are fighting, she scolds them, and then suddenly, she’s kind to someone who’s sick. I took true inspiration from her. Vipin was talking about swag, which people are recreating in reels, but while performing, I didn’t know what it was. Whatever I was giving Vipin was working for him. Without discussing much, he showed me that paati and things just worked out.

5. You began acting late in your life to support your family. How did that journey happen?

I dreamt of acting even in my early 20s. I was married to Kailasam, who was into production, and I was involved in Marma Desam and many such productions of K Balachander, my father-in-law. After my husband's demise 11 years ago, I wrote a play, directed and acted in it. It was when I was on stage, I decided that I should give acting a shot. My first opportunity came with director E V Ganesh Babu’s Kattil. Around that time, the late filmmaker Arun Mozhi was very encouraging. I became known as an actor with my next, Pa Ranjith's Sarpatta Parambarai, followed by Navarasa (Arvind Swami's episode, Rowthiram). Then came Ranjith's Natchathiram Nagargiradhu, which was a terrific experience. If I have learnt anything from a film set or a director, it is from Ranjith and his films. Thus, my journey began.

6. You’ve played mothers to heroes across generations. Do you ever feel stereotyped?

Sometimes I do, but they give me importance and something to emote, and that makes me happy. In Star, director Elan gave me that death scene where my mother-in-law is dead, and some good news comes, and I stop crying, and then I cover my head again, and he gave it, knowing the humour and emotion arc would work, and it did.

In Lubber Pandhu, the scene where I bring Swasika back home gave me a lot of reach, and in Manikandan’s Lover, my voice acting in the final phone call about applying for a divorce was well-appreciated.

In Idli Kadai, there is a scene where I look around the shop, and Dhanush, who is too good as a director, loved the emotion and kept appreciating me. He praises me to others. I am still a five-and-a-half-year-old actor, and the ‘child’ actor in me needs appreciation.

In Amaran, with Sivakarthikeyan, there was a lot of humour. Even today, I am called ‘Amaran Amma.’ Acting with Sai Pallavi was special as I’m her fan. She had once called to appreciate me for Natchathiram Nagargiradhu.

I’ve done about 30 films, and except for directors like Mari Selvaraj, Pa Ranjith and Dhanush, most have been debut directors or one-film-old directors.

7. You come from a powerful creative legacy, with K Balachander as your father-in-law, your husband, Bala Kailasam, and your own work with your home banner, Min Bimbangal. From that vantage point, what has changed for women in the industry, and what still needs to change for more women to step in as writers, directors, editors and technicians?

In the last 10-15 years, it has improved tremendously. There are a lot of women in the media now, and as a producer, I have introduced women through my banner. But we still don’t see many women directing or writing films. I am middle-aged and want to do more lead roles, rom-coms, etc. I look younger than how I am projected, but they still think of me only as a mother of two older kids. Although writers/directors are more conscious now about portraying women better, there has to be much more creativity, opportunity and weightage for 35-plus and 50-plus women because there is more to tell.

8. Do you see yourself ever returning to the TV industry, to production?

I am not interested in production. Even now, there are calls for remaking Marma Desam. It kills your creativity because you have to put your money, make your money back, and make compromises. My husband was a creative producer, we used to brainstorm on the ideas we get, which was nice, but when you are tough, and the cheques are delayed, you immediately become a villain. We were doing 10-15 productions simultaneously; there would definitely be a cash crunch. It was a very difficult job. Kailasam changed the system in a lot of ways – he put wage earners on a salary and gave them real security.

I am now looking for where my creativity lies; I want to write, maybe even write my own character's story.

9. What are your next projects?

My next film is with Star director Elan, where he is acting with Saanve Megghana. Another is directed by Pradeep Ranganathan’s assistant Maria Raja Elenchezhian, co-starring GV Prakash and Sri Gouri Priya. Both films have humour, so it is exciting. And then there is one with Harish Kalyan; I love my part in it.