Akshara Haasan opens up on playing a 19-year-old girl in 'Achcham Madam Naanam Payirppu': 'It was tough, had to shed every bit of myself'

Akshara Haasan opens up on playing a 19-year-old girl in 'Achcham Madam Naanam Payirppu': 'It was tough, had to shed every bit of myself'

Akshara Haasan's 'Achcham Madam Naanam Payirppu', has had a fantastic run at several international film festivals. The coming of age dramedy released digitally on March 25

Ria SharmaUpdated: Saturday, March 26, 2022, 08:39 PM IST
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Actress Akshara Haasan's latest Tamil release 'Achcham Madam Naanam Payirppu', has had a fantastic run at several international film festivals. The coming of age dramedy released digitally on March 25. The Free Press Journal caught up with Akshara for an exclusive chat.

In the film, the actress plays the role of a 19-year-old girl named Pavithra. "I essay the role of a teenager from a very orthodox and conservative family. She is innocent and sweet. It is challenging for her to strike a balance between her personal desires and societal expectations," she shares.

Akshara, 30, believes that the role of Pavithra is quite different from the ones she has played earlier. "It's very different actually because, firstly, I'm not playing someone who is anywhere close to my age. I had to go back and remember how I was when I was 19. Secondly, she's completely the opposite of who I am as a person in real life. So it was quite challenging because I really had to shed every bit of myself. It was tough because, at moments, you can't help but bring a bit of you," she explains.

Akshara credits director Raja Ramamurthy for bringing out the best in her.

A scene in the movie shows her struggling to buy a packet of sanitary napkins from a store. Akshara relates to the struggle of Pavithra. "I've been put in a situation similar to if I want to buy a sanitary napkin, it would be a bit awkward. But then, after a while, it changed because if you want to make the change happen, you need to change your mindset. And your actions speak louder than your words, so in that sense, I related because you don't need to feel awkward. I did feel awkward initially just to buy sanitary napkins because I had just started menstruating. But then, after a while, you do realise that it's okay," she confesses.

The actress made her big Bollywood debut in 2015 with Amitabh Bachchan and Dhanush in R Balki's film 'Shamitabh'. Looking back at her journey, Akshara says, "I've grown a lot. Shamitabh really helped me start that process of growing and becoming the kind of actor that I'd like to be."

However, she didn't do many films post that. "I wanted to always stay true to what I'm doing. And I was trying to figure out what kind of roles I really wanted to do. And I guess we all have that moment where we're trying to learn initially, and do it right. So I always think that if you're going to do something while you're learning, then you need to know that you can do it a 100 percent because the film cannot suffer. And nothing major than the film itself. So you need to be sure that you can deliver by learning and growing."

Akshara is the younger daughter of Kamal Haasan and Sarika. According to her, being a star kid has its pros and cons. "I would say it is both a privilege and a challenge. When I see it as a privilege, that's something that you always got to value. I mean, I guess we're just trying to protect our family name, which every family would do. So yeah, it's just normal," she avers.

She has been constantly compared to her actress-sister Shruti Haasan. "We're blood at the end of the day. She is my sister, and we will be compared. I can't say anything beyond that, honestly," she concludes.

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