#OnamExclusive/ Asha Sharath: Festivals should be celebrated with joy and gusto

There was fun, laughter and the sweetest mother-daugher chemistry as Asha Sharath and daughter Uthara, who is making her acting debut alongside her mother in Manoj Kana’s Khedda, shared Onam memories with us.
“In my hometown, Perumbavoor, people enjoy festivities and celebrate with all the traditional fanfare, making pookalam and holding cultural programmes, and as an artiste, it would be a busy time for me.But achan (her father) used to be adamant that Uthradam and Thiruvonam had to be spent with the family, so I would absolutely not do shows on these days,” shares Asha.
She believes festivals offer a break from our routines, and are a time for families to come together, relax and get refreshed, and should be celebrated. It is a practice that her father inculcated in the family. This year, however, with the passing of Asha’s father last October, they won’t be celebrating Onam, but the actress shares fond memories of previous festival seasons.
As children, Asha and her two brothers did not have to be told twice to celebrate, and they would really get into all the fun festival things. “My brothers believed in celebrating festivals with gusto; we would go to the temple, pick flowers for the pookalam, make the Onathappan, do the aarpoo vili, prepare poo ada…the whole works. Now I cherish this, because through the ups and downs of life — I lost my brothers — I fondly remember their enthusiasm and the beautiful memories our celebrations have brought. In fact, my husband, Sharath, who grew up in Nasik, started celebrating Onam and Vishu after joining our family,” she says.
Uthara points out that as pravasi Malayalis, Onam was an important celebration in Dubai, where the family is settled. “This was a special time, particularly for us children, because cousins and family friends would come together and we would make the pookalam and do other fun things. When I came to Kerala, it was lovely to see the celebration on a much bigger scale, with the whole state getting into festival mode,” says the youngster.
Uthara has just finished her postgraduation in business analytics in the UK and she says that last Vishu, her Malayali roommate made payasam and sambar to make it “a bit special”, though they had exams going on.
Asha explains that in Dubai, people are keen to recreate the feel of home, particularly during festival times. “So over the past nearly three decades that we have been there, we have had lively celebrations. Also, I make a decent sadya - avial is my favourite dish - and I enjoy hosting family and friends,” she says.
The actress shares a funny memory from an Onam on the Varsham sets. It was the only time that she had spent Thiruvonam day away from home, but with the climax scenes being shot, she could not take a break. “I started crying on sets and Mammukka teased me. It was his birthday the next day, as well. But it was like celebrating with family. The cast and crew had sadya together, took a break and then got back to shoot. It was good fun,” she says.