When We Do Small Roles, People On Set Don’t Treat Us Well: Anarkali Marikar

Whenever there is any talk about budding young female talent in Malayalam cinema, Anarkali Marikar’s name almost always makes its way into the conversation. The actress chats with Anupriya about her newest release B 32 Muthal 44 Vare, a sisterhood drama that features her in the role of a trans woman. 

Anarkali is not afraid of taking risks with her acting choices, a fact that is reasserted by her role in B 32 Muthal 44 Vare. She says, "I shot this movie for about 4-5 days. It was a challenge playing a trans person. But despite that, the shoot turned out to be interesting. Also, I had a day-long grooming session to get the mannerisms and talking style right." The actress further adds that she spoke to many of her trans friends and worked hard on getting the body language right. 

The actress adds that the experience working on the sets of B 32 Muthal 44 Vare was very different from her other films. She says, "Usually, on film sets, you have to sit idle. This is quite common among actors. But on this set, I hardly ever sat idle. The shoot was so organised that we completed the movie a few days earlier than expected." 

The actress, who has shot a few intimate scenes for the movie, says that the presence of a supportive crew made her feel comfortable. “All the intimate scenes were shot with proper communication among everyone involved. I could do the scenes without any hesitation because the atmosphere was comfortable.” 

The actress further opens up about the treatment of character actors on sets. She says, "As someone who usually essays small characters in movies, the way we are treated is still not that great. When we do small roles, people don't treat us that well. I wouldn't say it has been bad, but it hasn’t been quite comfortable." 

Speaking about the internet hate that celebrities are subjected to, the actress points out that celebrities have to persistently deal with body shaming comments. "I am still struggling with such comments, and I still feel sad when I gain weight. It is an unnecessary requirement for actors to be skinny. Just because I do not fulfil their requirements of how an actress should look, people pass unnecessary remarks at me."