Acting alongside Fahadh Faasil in one of his most celebrated movies, Aparna Balamurali made quite a mark with Maheshinte Prathikaaram (2016), director Dileesh Pothan's debut. This was not Aparna's first movie, however, just the one that brought her recognition. In the next few years, she would go on to gain a lot of appreciation, especially for her Tamil film with Suriya, Soorarai Pottru (2020), for which she won the National Film Award for Best Female Actor.
Aparna has already had three Malayalam releases this year, including 2018 and Dhoomam. She will also be seen in an upcoming film Padmini with Kunchacko Boban, and appears to be widening her range as an actor with every passing film. Here are a few notable performances from her decade-long career.
Maheshinte Prathikaaram (2016)
Though this is not her first movie, Maheshinte Prathikaaram was so widely acclaimed that it changed the course of every actor in it, including Fahadh. Aparna too was immediately recognised as a talented new actor. Aparna plays a young woman named Jimsy in the film. Unremarkably, like the rest of Dileesh Pothan's characters, she travels in a bus in the film, and passes by Mahesh's (Fahadh) photo studio every day. One day, she goes up to the studio and asks Mahesh to take her photo to send in for a magazine contest. An adorable exchange between the two follows, and Aparna's no-nonsense expressions were received well by the audience.
Allu Ramendran (2019)
Aparna has a lot less to do in this film which revolves around a mysterious troublemaker who keeps dropping nails on the road to puncture the tyre of a policeman's jeep. Kunchacko Boban plays the angry policeman who badly wants to take revenge on the mischief-maker. Aparna plays his sister Swathy, another no-nonsense role she does really well, as she responds to the attentions of a young man (Krishna Shankar) who keeps seeing her on the bus. (Coincidentally, it is again a bus that our heroine rolls in.)
Soorarai Pottru (2020)
This one was a total surprise. Although Aparna had by then proven her acting skills, in Soorarai Pottru, she is almost unrecognisable, playing an ambitious young woman. The film directed by Sudha Kongara is mainly focused on retelling the real-life story of Captain GR Gopinath (played by Suriya) who founded the affordable Air Deccan airline, but Aparna's part is equally memorable. She plays Suriya's wife Bommi, a woman who is fully committed to her independent bakery business from start to end and never thinks about shutting down when the husband prospers or makes money. She won the National Film Award for Best Female Actor for this performance.
Watch: Aparna’s interview with TNM
Sundari Gardens (2022)
Aparna plays a role much older than her real age, that of a divorced woman in her 30s working at a school library, who enjoys her wine and is just beginning a new relationship. She acts opposite Neeraj Madhav in the film which mostly shines the light on her character, Suma. This Charlie Davis film gives her a lot of scope to perform, and Aparna captures the many emotions of her character beautifully.
Ini Utharam (2022)
Though underutilised, Aparna delivers a convincing performance as the mysterious Dr Janaki who sets the thriller in motion. She also works out a compelling chemistry with Harish Uthaman, who is pitch perfect as a seemingly righteous top cop not averse to bending some rules. Kalabhavan Shajohn also stands out in his antagonistic role.