Koodiyattam artiste Kapila Venu talks acting debut, being discovered on Instagram

Koodiyattam artiste Kapila Venu spoke about her unexpected transition into acting, including her lead role in the Tamil film, Neelira - based on Sri Lankan Civil War, while speaking at the India Today Conclave in Kochi during the session, Koodiyattam: The Dance of Continuity. Venu revealed that her acting journey happened almost by accident after a Sri Lankan filmmaker discovered her work on Instagram during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“My acting stint happened incidentally. It did not come because I was working with actors on dance workshops. I was working on performance films where I was doing things related to traditional arts. During Covid-19, somebody found me on Instagram. He had no idea who I was. He was a Sri Lankan director,” she said.

The filmmaker, she recalled, recognised her potential as an actor and eventually offered her the lead role in the Tamil film Neelira, a film based on the Sri Lankan civil war. “He understood that I could act. Apparently, I look like his mother. The film was his memory of a civil war. He invited me to do the lead role in a film based on the Sri Lankan war. It’s called Neelira, it’s on Amazon Prime,” Venu said.

Despite making her acting debut, Venu said she has not yet received a promising offer from the Malayalam film industry that has truly appealed to her. However, she named filmmaker Lijo Jose Pellissery as someone whose work she particularly admires.

“Nobody has approached me yet with a good role from Malayalam industry. But, I really like Lijo Jose Pellissery,” she said.

Venu has acted in two films, including a commercial project in which she played a villain. She said her decision to take up these roles came largely from curiosity rather than a desire to move away from her roots in traditional performance.

“I did two films – one of which is a commercial film as well. I played a villain character in that. I just did it because I loved to do things out of curiosity,” she said.

However, Venu remains firmly rooted in Koodiyattam and traditional arts. For her, acting is more of an occasional escape than a career shift. “But, I am very grounded in what I originally do. I always like to have small escapes. If a compelling script comes my way, I'd like to take it up,” she added.- EndsALSO READ | Neelira review: Someetharan's anti-war film is a portrait of war's human cost