The other day, as I walked into a studio in West Chennai,
I was all geared up to dub the dialogues for my role in an upcoming Tamil film. Another
mother's role, this time to Shruti
Hassan.
After the pleasantries were exchanged with the sound
engineer and the Assistant Director (AD), we started with a run through of the
first scene. We discussed the situational dialogues , tone of my voice - and
after a couple of takes it was approved . But just then, I heard the AD
laughing in the console! Curious, I turned back and asked him the reason for
his sudden outburst, but he chose to keep quiet.
Well, I thought to myself, it was bad manners to prod. I
continued dubbing for the next couple of scenes. Soon, it was time for a coffee
break and the AD came inside the dubbing room, and we started chatting till the
coffee arrived. This time, I decided to ask him why he laughed a little while
back and he broke into a wide smile.
Puzzled, I told him that it was okay if the joke was on
me and assured that I would take it well. He looked at me and still sporting the
widest of smiles, said " I wonder
if there is any daughter who will have such a "Baeku" amma (to put it
simply a “dumb” mother ! For a moment I was taken aback and wondered if he had
just paid a complement or….? Looking at my flustered look , he was quick to add
"Madam, you come across as a very innocent amma and that is why we always like to
cast you in such roles.” He went on to add that the director had tried hard to
get another "Amma" but somehow I seemed to fit perfectly into the
role of a " Baeku" Amma . “You are very convincing madam !”
Ahem ! Now that was convincing !
It is no wonder that , when I am approached in airports,
railway stations, restaurants, movie theatres and heed to a selfie request or a
photo, there is always a giggle! The other day, at the Cochin airport , a
lady suddenly came next to me and said that her sister was a "big"
fan of mine. “She even remembers all your ‘punch’ dialogues!”, she continued. It
made me realise that comedy scenes in films cannot be forgotten easily. I
quietly thanked all my directors, their assistants and the scriptwriters for
having given me those lines in the first place .
Life seldom gives us a second chance, but comedy does
ease it out ! It does help in making a very tense situation very light, just
like in the movies. In fact, I fully agree with Robin Williams when he said
that "Comedy is acting out
optimism."
After a hard day's work in office and some not so good
moments with clients/ colleagues/ boss , imagine walking into a store, and the
salesman flashing a 1000 watt smile at you? What a feeling! It sure is a mood
changer. And the icing on the cake is when he looks at you, points a finger,
shakes his head and asks "Amaaama Illaiyaa " ? - a popular dialogue of mine from the film
Ghilli .
Truly a happy "Baeku" moment !
