Aishwarya Rajesh on ‘Farhana’, the under-representation of Muslims in movies and the altering situation

Aishwarya Rajesh in a nonetheless from ‘Farhana’
| Picture Credit score: Particular Association

In a profession that has spanned over a decade, Aishwarya Rajesh’s present part might be her greatest. Within the final 4 months, she has had 4 releases and is gearing up for her fifth, Monster-fame Nelson Venkatesan’s Farhana. “All of them are important films to me; I really liked the stories. Farhana will be one of the most important as I consider it to be on a par with Kanaa and Ka Pae Ranasingam which were intense. Not to take away credit from other films, but people have always loved such thrillers,” says Aishwarya Rajesh, who performs a married Muslim girl in Farhana. “The film will give the audience a sense of walking into a Muslim community. It’s the journey of Farhana. The first and second halves are contrasting to each other and there’s even a thriller element to it.”

We draw her consideration to the recently-released Run Child Run during which her screenspace was minimal regardless of the story revolving round her. “The role and content are important at the end of the day. I initially declined the offer but the director (Jiyen Krishnakumar) convinced me with his storytelling. Interestingly, that narration happened while I was shooting for Farhana which is also high on content,” says Aishwarya. Regardless of being an edge-of-the-seat thriller, Farhana is anchored by a powerful emotional connection. Aside from that, we have now Selva sir (director-turned-actor Selvaraghavan) as a shock bundle.”

A nonetheless from ‘Farhana’
| Picture Credit score:
Particular Association

On the under-representation of Muslims in our movies, Aishwarya says, “I think they just didn’t write such characters and I wonder why they don’t. When I accepted this film, I realised that I have not done a Muslim character before, albeit in the role of Zubeida in my Hindi film (Daddy, 2017).” When requested in regards to the significance of illustration of minority communities, at a time when movies like The Kerala Story declare girls are being transformed to Islam and recruited into ISIS, Aishwarya says, “One has to be responsible when doing a film and when it’s likely to court controversy, one should have the knowledge to face it. As far as Farhana is concerned, Nelson was very clear about his script; so much so that we have discussed what might and might not turn into a controversy. When the trailer was released and some tried to raise an issue, my producer and director called me to ask me not to worry, though I wasn’t in the first place. I don’t see the point of seeing the promotional material and jumping to conclusions. If after the film’s release, something is pointed out to be wrong, then we can talk about it.”

Aishwarya additionally factors out that Nelson was cautious in regards to the illustration and even requested her to study to supply namaz. “A Muslim family came in every evening for 10 days to teach me. I was also taught how to prepare for the prayer and perform the purification ritual (Wudu). We were keen to make sure that the namaz sequences be authentic. I also learnt a lot about Islam and the slang that I speak in the film. Such crucial roles need such levels of preparation and it’s similar to how I was trained in cricket for six months for Kanaa. Oru character eh justice panradhu dhaan oru actor oda velai,” says the actor who additionally feels that artists ought to pay attention to what the movie is conveying. “We all might have our own ideologies but, as far as films are concerned, we have to be extra careful and responsible as that content is going to be consumed by the masses.”

A nonetheless from ‘Farhana’
| Picture Credit score:
Particular Association

In an earlier interview with us, Aishwarya had stated that women-fronted movies ought to be given a respiratory house of at the very least every week and that was the rationale for Kousalya Krishnamurthy (Kanaa’s Telugu remake) not faring nicely on the field workplace regardless of getting constructive critiques. “I feel so with Tamil films too. An Ajith sir, Vijay sir film or something like Ponniyin Selvan will definitely get their audience. But for smaller films, people check reviews before venturing to the theatres. Our films actually run well only after the second week,” says Aishwarya, who, regardless of having movies alongside GV Prakash (titled Expensive), Jai and Joju George within the pipeline, provides that she will get extra women-centric movies. “Appadi dhaan varudhu, naa enna panradhu (laughs).”

The actor has been vocal in regards to the lack of alternatives for heroines with dusky complexions. Ask her if it has modified now and she or he says, “I think it is changing for the good. A popular director recently met me for a web series and though it didn’t work out, he narrated the story to me and wanted to work with me because he liked my work. I think more importance is given to the performance of actors now.”