'I’m happy playing the sister if she has something to do': Darshana Rajendran intv

Darshana Rajendran may only be a few films old, but the young actor has made a name for herself as a versatile performer. She's playing a pivotal role in C U Soon, an experimental film directed by Mahesh Narayanan, which will release on Amazon Prime Video on September 1. Others in the cast include Fahadh Faasil and Roshan Mathew.

Calling the film a "surprise", Darshana says that they managed to finish shooting in under 20 days. "I'm still waiting for films that I did more than a year ago to release," she says.

In this interview with TNM, Darshana speaks about how C U Soon was shot, what she feels about women actors getting typecast on the basis of their looks, and what advice she has for aspiring actors.

This is a film where the story is told entirely through screens. You usually have a co-actor to give you cues. Was it strange to do it this way?

Yes, very much so, but we managed it in the best way that we could. All of us moved into one apartment so we could move in and out. Within that space, it was all shot separately. So when Roshan and I have a video call, his portion would be shot and later, we would shoot my responses to that. It was a little tricky and took some time getting used to. But we did have co-actors give cues. When Roshan was shooting, I would be in the room giving him cues, looking at the phone but very much around.

I got some very Gone Girl vibes from your character Anumol in the trailer...

(Laughs) People are coming up with their own film. Everyone who has called me has been like, "I know it's usually Roshan who does the villathanam but I know this time you're the one who's going to be up to something!' I just said I don't know! I'm not sure how much I can say. But I can say that I just loved playing the character.

You have very talented co-stars in the film, Roshan and of course, Fahadh. What was your experience of working with them?

I've collaborated with Roshan on different kinds of work and projects. He's someone I really enjoy working with and we're almost always ideating on things we can try and do. And every actor wants to work with Fahadh. He's on everyone's list. So when I heard that he was going to play one of the characters, I was really excited and freaking out, asking if I know how to do what I'm doing!

But while I was shooting, I didn't think about it at all. We were able to constantly work. We had flexibility because it was not a large set and we didn't have to worry about time running out. They were easy to work with.

You've done a variety of roles, but is there a genre you'd really like to try?

I would love to do comedy. On stage, there are some characters I've played where I've really enjoyed doing comedy. We had actors like Philomina and Urvashi playing some really fun characters… I'd love to do something like that. It's so dependent on your timing and I really enjoyed doing it onstage. I found it difficult as well and that's why it's so exciting for me.

Even in Hridayam, I'm excited about the role because it's very different from what I've done so far and how I've been seen. But Vineeth (director) had so much faith that I could pull it off.

Watch the trailer of C U Soon here:

When it comes to women, their roles tend to be defined by how they look. So if you're conventionally beautiful, you get the heroine role. If you're pleasant but not glamorous, you can be the friend or sister. Do you find this frustrating?

Absolutely. For a long time, I went for so many auditions where I was told I'm too small! It's very different in Malayalam cinema where there are many kinds of people on screen. But until they think of you as a good actor and capable of doing something in that space, you're looked at for how you appear.

In many auditions, I've been told, "Oh you look 20!" or "Oh the hero is going to be like this and you'll be too small!" I have not had an issue with me being small all my life but I started wondering if I wasn't going to get work because I'm small. And I was getting all these sister roles...I'm happy playing the sister if the sister has something to do other than being the sister! Malayalam cinema used to be open, then it wasn't, and now it again is. If I'm being considered for lead roles today, it's because these ideas are breaking.

You're a person with diverse interests. Anything new you've tried out in the lockdown other than shooting C U Soon?

I'm someone who likes doing random things, doing it terribly, but doing it anyway. So I did try out many things - from calligraphy to playing guitar and meeting with friends and reading plays - but there was also a time when I did absolutely nothing… I would want to watch a film but wouldn't be able to. It's a tricky time for everyone, including artists. People who are living from payment to payment, you don't know when your next will be out or when you'll be paid. For me it was very up and down. Days when I would function well but also days when I felt very low. But I was lucky to have a safe space and just do nothing if I didn't feel like it.

What advice would you have for newcomers stepping into cinema?

It's never going to be easy. One of my first experiences was disappointment. Something I spent eight months prepping and working on, and that was like a dream project. It didn't happen and I wondered why things weren't working out, if I should just go back to my job. I wasn't exactly happy with the job but it wasn't so erratic, with so many ups and downs. Today I could be working on a very cool film project that I'm very excited about and tomorrow, people may not like it at all and it could just drop. It's never certain. You can never be sure. You should find a way to keep you in between and not pull you into the extremes of happiness and sadness.

Can you tell us about your upcoming films?

There's Pennum Cherukkanum, an anthology film, and my part is directed by Aashiq Abu and my co-actor is Roshan. I've spent a long time with Rajeev Ravi's Thuramukham. That was an incredible experience. I feel like he just lifts you from your world and puts you in his. He builds a very authentic world. It just flows. There's Hridayam. We were shooting it in Chennai before the lockdown and then I came to Kerala. So we hope to resume that as soon as we can. Vineeth is a joy to work with and he makes everyone feel comfortable.