Shibla Fara: I have emotionally heavy and lightweight films coming up

When

Shibla Fara

signed a film named

Divorce

a few months ago, people asked her if she would only play women in broken marriages; after all, her character in her 2019 debut movie

Kakshi Amminippilla

was also in a similar situation. But, Shibla also has many other films coming up, like Khalid Rahman’s Thallumala, a light commercial film. The actor tells us about her projects, handling unsolicited advice about her bodyweight, her bold personality and more:

Tell us about Divorce
Divorce, directed by newbie Mini IG, looks at the perspectives of women from different socio-economic strata, like in our classic films Adaminte Vaariyellu and Ezhuthapurangal. There is still a stigma around divorced woman, particularly when they fight for the custody of their children. Their character and financial standing are brought up to weaken them. I play a barely educated woman named Noorjahan, who is from a lower social strata. She is humiliated in court for a single wrong act, which seems to wipe out everything good she has done for her family. But she is a lot more mature as compared to Kanthi in Kakshi Amminippilla.

Did you worry about getting typecast, as Noorjahan’s situation is similar to Kanthi’s?
A little, but there are several relationships that this film looks at, from that of an elderly couple to that of an actress. Director Mini, who has been active in theatre for long, presents it from a female perspective. It also demanded an intense performance. Even dubbing for the character took an emotional toll on me. Some of the scenes like the women waiting in court were quite difficult for me to handle. But it was nice to work with co-stars like Priyamvada and KPAC Leela.

How are Thallumala by Khalid Rahman and your other films different?
I have both emotionally heavy and lightweight films coming up. Thallumala is an out-and-out commercial film. I play a teacher named Annie in the film, which has Tovino and Kalyani Priyadarshan in the lead. It’s a big project and we were to start shoot in May, but we will have to wait and watch the situation as COVID numbers are going up again. The film has romance in it but also looks at the ‘evolution’ of the main character through various milestones in his life.
I am also very excited about speaking my native Malappuram slang in another upcoming film, and its director said during the audition that he was impressed with the way I handled the dialect.
I am friends with director Zakariya, who also hails from the district and when we text, we use the Malappuram slang. I also have another film with director Milan Suraj, which will be written by Sanilesh Sivan of Kakshi Amminippilla.

You convey opinions quite boldly on social media. But aren’t you concerned about people judging you?
My personal opinions have nothing to do with my work. I only convey my opinions on things that I strongly believe in. It’s just that sometimes, I can’t stay silent about certain issues.
I’m someone who moved away from my conventional Muslim family set-up a few years ago. Now I’m a non-believer and I don’t like decisions that are taken on the basis of religion, whether it is about the Sabarimala issue or love jihad. There are so many serious issues like child sex abuse, but we waste our energies defending God. My husband Vijit, who is a Hindu, has also become liberal in his religious thinking now.

How do you handle weight-loss advice?
I never reply to such comments on social media, it’s not for them to decide my ideal weight. I have battled body negativity for long, but now I consciously try to spread the message that you can wear what you want, regardless of your weight. I will definitely try to lose weight for a role, if needed.
Pics courtesy: Manu Sankar