I am freaking out on the sets of Ezra: Priya Anand

Actress Priya Anand already has several reasons to cheer as she’s managed to stay true to her resolution for this year – “shake things up and try something new”. The last few months have had her playing a village belle for the first time in a Tamil movie through

Muthuramalingam

, debuting in Sandalwood with Puneeth Rajkumar in Rajakumara and now stepping into the Malayalam film industry with the horror-thriller

Ezra

.

In between the breaks of the Prithviraj-starrer, which is currently being filmed in Kochi, the actress tells us why Ezra has been a hair-raising experience for her, the difference she noticed in Mollywood actors and more…

The past month had you working in Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam industry. It must be tough shuttling between three projects?
This is exactly what I was hoping for this year. I was looking to do something that would give me the same fear and excitement I had when I began my acting career. I started from scratch; I didn’t know anyone in India or anything about acting then. So, I had to learn so much in a short span. Now, I have been in the film industry for seven years and things were starting to get monotonous. I wanted to get out of the comfort zone – to find myself again. The Kannada and Malayalam films I have been doing right now are offering me that chance once again.

What made you pick a

horror

film for your debut in Malayalam?
The movies here are shot in a single stretch and that’s why I have not been able to sign a Malayalam film so far. Ezra was the first film I signed this year because I wanted to manage all my other dates around it. I met the movie’s director Jaykrishnan in Chennai; he knew exactly what he wanted. With this being a horror film, it’s imperative that the director knows what he has to do visually to make it scary or it will just come off as corny. He’s an ad filmmaker, so he has a lot of experience on how to present a film visually and make it interesting.Horror films are all the rage in Kollywood and I was listening to a lot of such scripts. But I was bowled over by Ezra’s because the amount of detailing that Jay has in the film is refreshing. It is very different from the movies made in Tamil and its story is really going to ‘freak out’ everyone. I have only shot for a week and I am already scared! I am freaking out on the set every day.

What’s your role in the film?
I cannot reveal too much about my character or the film. The movie has a Jewish background. We will be filming in Kochi and Mumbai.

How is it working with Prithviraj?
I am familiar with him because he does Tamil movies too. He’s super talented. I have been doing movies in Telugu, Hindi and Tamil. People always ask me if I see a difference in the industries and I never do. But for the first time, I see a difference and the whole approach of Malayali actors to the craft is meticulous. It’s a lot more detailed. I think that’s why this industry has some of the most talented actors of our country.

You also have just finished shooting for the Tamil film, Muthuramalingam…
The film is exciting for me because I play a village girl for the first time in a Tamil movie. My intention this year was not to do what I have always been doing and Muthuramalingam happened because of that. I am working with Gautham Karthik again in the film after Vai Raja Vai. We both had to learn a bit of Silambattam (martial art using bamboo stick) for the movie. It was very interesting to learn a different art form, which is part of our culture.

Your debut Kannada movie, Rajakumara, has you teaming up with Puneeth Rajkumar…
We have been shooting for it for quite a while. We were in Australia for a month and we will go to Goa next. I had such a good time working with the team. Puneeth Rajkumar is the nicest person I have come across. And what’s interesting is in all the three movies I am doing right now, I am working with actors who were born into the film industry. Gautham, Prithviraj and Puneeth, all have a movie background.

Will you be dubbing for the Kannada and Malayalam movies as well?
I have always dubbed for myself in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. The language part has been scary. I have picked up Kannada and say my lines now. I am somehow confident in that language. But I am just getting used to Malayalam. Fortunately, I am a Tamilian so I am not totally clueless, but it is a difficult language to pick up.