Varalaxmi Interview: ‘Tharai Thappattai’ Is A Dream Come True

The teaser of heroine Varalaxmi Sarathkumar’s Tharai Thappattai, directed by Bala, has just released. Varalaxmi plays a Karagattam dancer, opposite Sasikumar. ⁠⁠⁠Karagattam, an ancient folk dance from Tamil Nadu, requires the dancer to balance pots on the head, while performing acrobatic feats. Varalaxmi says, “The film is a dream come true.” As we settle down for a chat, the bubbly and energetic actor shares just what makes this one of the most-awaited films of her career.

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Varalaxmi has trained in Western dance forms. Most of her life, she feels she breathed dance. So when the role of a Kargattam dancer came her way, she was literally dancing with joy. Plus, she had been chosen by none other than ace director Bala. “I’m so grateful to him for this opportunity. I feel that with this film, my career has been launched a second time, this time by Bala sir. My Facebook and Twitter pages were flooded with compliments the minute I signed the film. The film is a dream come true in every way,” she repeats.

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It may be a dream opportunity, but the hard work she put in was all too real. Training for Karagattam was the first step, and learning the movements wasn’t easy. “It’s almost a forgotten art form. Bala sir’s film tries to revive its glory, and focus on the lives of the dancers and their troupes. I watched several You Tube videos of the dancers to prepare myself. I noticed that they have absolutely no inhibitions while dancing. So even though I’m a dancer, I had to learn something completely new. I imbibed their body language and movements. We had three months of dance rehearsals with several of the performers. And also with Brinda, Suchi and Baba master. Each of them had their own style. All this helped me a lot,” she says.

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Director and actor M Sasikumar plays a musician. Varalaxmi says, “He plays several instruments in the troupe. For the most part, we shot in the Andamans and in Thanjavur.” ⁠⁠⁠It’s an unusual pairing. A director-actor like Sasikumar, who is learning new dance skills with each film, and a trained dancer like Varalaxmi. From the teaser and posters, it’s obvious that both have gone the extra mile, well out of their comfort zones, to authentically portray traditional folk artists. Sasikumar is well versed with Bala’s style of filmmaking and has been a part of several rural based films himself. Varalaxmi, on the other hand, is new to this genre. It will be interesting to watch the dynamic between this particular lead pair.

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Bala has a penchant for highlighting latent talent and bringing out multiple dimensions from his actors. So how did the Poda Podi heroine land the part? “It was by chance. My friend Sangeetha took me to meet Bala sir one evening. He was recording the music for Paradesi. He spoke to me quite casually and asked me to come for a screen test the next day. A few days later I got a call saying that I had got the lead role. It was the happiest moment of my life.”

Bala is known as a hard taskmaster who makes serious films. But Varalaxmi says he has a different side. “I too had heard rumours that he was very serious. But after working with him, I feel he’s misunderstood. I was pleasantly surprised to see his lighter, humorous side on sets. He’s a perfectionist who knows exactly what he wants. If you understand that and deliver your best, he’s one of the easiest people to work with. In fact I felt so much in sync with him, that I even got permission to work as an Assistant Director on the sets. It was a huge learning opportunity,” she says with a smile.

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