Nayanthara, Asin get back to Malayalam films

Top Malayali actresses who made waves outside their state, are getting back to familiar moorings in Kerala! Successful Malayali girls, like Nayanthara, Meera Jasmine, Mamta Mohandas, Priyamani and Bhavana, who made it to the top in Tamil and Telugu films, are now doing Malayalam films. The big buzz now is that Asin, who has no current projects in Bollywood, has agreed to do a Malayalam film for a director known for his meaningful films. Nayanthara’s first Malayalam film in three years, Bodyguard, with Dileep is releasing next week. Nayan, who is shifting base, has also signed her first film in Sandalwood, a big budget extravaganza, directed by and starring superstar Upendra. In Malayalam, she will be doing director Shyama Prasad’s next film; two other films with Mammootty and Mohanlal are in the pipeline.

Meera Jasmine is making a comeback after three years with Rajiv Anchal’s Pattinte Palazhi in which she plays a leading playback singer. Says director Rajiv Anchal, “When I wrote the story for the film, I had only Meera in mind as only she can do justice to the role.”

Mamta had a brief fling with Tamil and Telugu films, and her Bollywood dreams never materialised. Meanwhile her Passenger in Malayalam, got her critical as well as box-office acclaim. Now she is playing the lead role in director Aneesh’s Nirakazcha, a story about a model who falls in love with an Italian painter. Next week, she will start shooting with Jayaram for an untitled film with director Sathyan Anthikad who’s known for his family sagas.

Bhavana, after a long time is smiling, as her recent release Happy Husbands with Jayaram has been declared a hit. She has slowed down her Tamil and Telugu projects and has only Asal with Ajith in Tamil. Bhavana has also signed two new films in Malayalam. Meanwhile, Priyamani, after a National Award winning performance in Paruthiveeran, tried to take the glamour route in Tamil and Telugu cinema and failed miserably. She is back to Malayalam films with a meaty role in a film opposite her favourite hero, Prithviraj.

Concludes a veteran director, “They may have been paid a bomb to look glamourous on screen in the Tamil and Telugu film industries, but they can now extend their careers for a few more years in Malayalam doing films where they won’t have to wear itsy-bitsy clothes!”