The rehearsal process in theatre is sacrosanct: Anu Menon
Thanks to the rise of pop culture on television in the ’90s, VJ Lolakutty aka Anu Menon became a household name. Her impact was so strong that imagining Anu, without her big square glasses, curly hair with mogra, silk saris and a thick Malayalam accent seemed impossible.
Thanks to the rise of pop culture on television in the ’90s, VJ Lolakutty aka Anu Menon became a household name. Her impact was so strong that imagining Anu, without her big square glasses, curly hair with mogra, silk saris and a thick Malayalam accent seemed impossible. But it is all part of history now. With multiple characters and plays to her credit, she is much more than the funny geek. As she was recently seen as Laila in the English play, Good Mourning, Anu talks about the drama and her process of getting into a role.
Talking about the act, she says that although her character is serious, the play has a funny twist to it. “In Good Mourning, I play Laila, who’s recently widowed and there is a funeral, where family and friends come to console her. During the course of that evening, alcohol is consumed and a lot of untold truths slip out and things descend, and get chaotic and out of control,” she says.
Different actors have a different process of getting into a role. Anu says that she loves to think about the character’s backstory. “When it comes to a play, the rehearsal process is sacrosanct. It takes a lot of effort for this parallel life to come to life on stage. So, my favourite part is creating a backstory for the character — what she is about, where she went to school, etc. It’s not for the people to know, this is for me. That’s my favourite part of the process. You do theatre for the pure love of acting and the fact that you are surrounded by extremely talented actors keeps you going,” concludes Anu.
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