Surabhi took home the National Award for Best Actress to Kerala post a gap of 14 years in 2017. After winning, she said, “My schedule is packed now with interviews, but what I actually wish for is to stay busy doing good characters in films.” Three years later, the actress now features in many commercial as well as critically acclaimed movies. She also has many projects coming up in Malayalam. These include Dulquer Salmaan starer Kurup, Poriveyil with Indrans, Kallan Dsouza as Soubin Shahir’s heroine, director K Harikumar’s Jwalamukhi, and more. Surabhi told TNN how it wasn’t an easy road for her even after winning the prestigious award:
The first question asked her about her experience working in the film Kurup. She said. “While I was acting in director Jayaraj’s film Gulmohar, Srinath Rajendran was an assistant director in it. He was on the set soon after completing his engineering. He had called me to act in his directorial debut Second Show. However, the role was that of a very modern woman who wears sleeveless dresses and also smokes. At that time, for a Kulipinnalkaari from Narikkuni village in Kozhikode, it was hard to imagine doing something of the sort. At that time, I only used to wear a salwar, not even jeans. I told him I have no confidence or experience to pull it off at that point, and probably I might do something like that in a few years down the lane. There were no other roles that I could take up too, in it. So, he said we can work together in my next, and that’s how Kurup came along. I play DQ’s Kunjammayi, who is from Mumbai.
It is my third film with Dulquer, after doing one combination scene each in the films ABCD and CIA. He has been an extremely humble man, who heartily laughs even for silly jokes, and makes everyone comfortable.”
The actress directed a music video. The interviewer asked whether she plans on directing a film. “While studying for M A Theatre in Kalady Sri Sankara University, where those like Dileesh Pothen were my batchmate, I have directed about 26 plays as part of the curriculum. The direction of the music video Kaumaram wasn’t a planned one. The lyrics are by my friend Shyla Chechi, sung by Dr. Shani and composed by Gayathri Iyer. The project shows five stages in a woman’s life, and what I directed is Kaumaram, which shows the feelings of a 16-year-old girl. A group of friends produced this film, as we aren’t high-end professionals, we got a taste of all the departments. I could also see how much pressure a director takes. As an actor, I think only about my performance, but that isn’t the case of a director.
Will I direct movies? Well, filmmaking is in my mind, however, I don’t know how or when it will happen. I also think I should do my current job, acting, properly, first.”
After this, she answered how the National Award changed her life. “I was predominantly a TV actress when I got it. I feel, if someone who was a mainstream actress would have got the award, movies and stories would have been made for them. Soon after I got the award, there was a phase in which filmmakers didn’t know where to place me. Can I be a heroine, mom, lover… they didn’t know. After I repeatedly made it clear that I am ready to take up any role, regardless of its size and after doing a few such roles, people started calling me. On the whole, I can’t claim to have had major changes in the way roles were offered to me, though small movies and good character roles are coming my way.”
