'Malayalam film industry recognises talent'

For actress Priya Anand, this year is about pushing the boundaries and taking up new challenges. That's apparently the reason the English Vinglish star has signed her debut projects in Malayalam and Kannada, with Prithviraj and Puneeth Rajkumar respectively.
For Priya, both the forays are attempts to 'shake things up' in her career spanning seven years, since her Tamil debut Vaamanan.'When you struggle first and then make it, everything looks exciting and new. But after a point, you get the gist of how the industry works and the learning curve sort of becomes stagnant. I think the debuts in Malayalam and Kannada will keep me on my toes,' she says.
In Malayalam, the actress has been roped in for Ezra, which will be directed by Jaykrishnan, and will go on floors by May this year. The actress tells us that scheduling conflicts are to blame for her delayed Mollywood foray. 'I was actually supposed to debut in Malayalam years ago but the dates didn't work out,' she says.
However, Priya is all praise for how Mollywood filmmakers plan and execute their projects. 'It's great that they finish the movie according to schedule. They are extremely well-planned and clear about what they want to do,' she says. 'That unfortunately never worked in my favour because I do multiple projects in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi and at any given point it's a 10-15 day schedule per film. So, it's very difficult to block off a month of my year for a Malayalam film.'
So, what prompted her to take up Ezra? 'I was desperate to do something creative and out of my comfort zone. That is when I heard the script of Ezra. Fortunately, I also had enough time to work around the schedule and plan my other films too,' explains Priya. What's curious about the Tamil actress' choice though is that she's picked a horror film to debut in Malayalam when such films are being made a dime a dozen in Kollywood. 'It's true that Ezra will be my first horror flick,' she says. 'In Tamil, every other script I hear is a horror movie and I don't want to be part of 10 such films that could release in a year. Jaykrishnan's script was great and Prithviraj is one of my favourite actors 'be it in Malayalam or Tamil. So, I am really excited to work with him.'
Her projects in Malayalam and Kannada will also mark the first time she is working in languages she's not familiar with. 'For both Kannada and Malayalam, I will have to learn the languages. My directors told me that they would help me with them when I am on the sets. But I really hope I can pick something up. If I am spending 30 days with the same team, I should be able to manage, I'm sure,' she says. Priya also shares she's been getting offers continuously from Malayalam and hopes that her upcoming debut will swing the door wide open for her in Mollywood. 'The amazing thing about the Malayalam industry is that they always recognise talent. They focus on the artistes than on the glamour quotient. They will take anyone; even the girl next door, and if she's good enough, they will make her a star,' she says.