A GRACEFUL TAKE-OFF

Grace Antony, who is making her Tamil debut with Paranthu Po, shares her affinity to Tamil films, her desire to direct films, on being a part of Mammootty-Mohanlal-Mahesh Narayanan's next, and more

- AKSHAY KUMAR

It is not every day that director Ram comes up with a feel-good comedy. But that's exactly the genre he has attempted in his next, Paranthu Po, headlined by Shiva and Malayalam actor Grace Antony. Paranthu Po marks Grace's debut in Tamil after making quite a mark in Malayalam with films like Kumbalangi Nights, Kanakam Kaamini Kalaham, Rorschach, Nunakuzhi, and Appan.

'Ram sir chose me seeing Appan'

Interestingly, Appan (2022), which explored a dysfunctional father-son relationship, was the reason why Ram thought Grace would be the apt choice for Paranthu Po, which explores a complex dad-son relationship with humour. "I have been getting Tamil offers for a few years now, but I wanted a solid launch here. That was when Nivin (Pauly) chettan, who was working with Ram sir in Yezhu Kadal Yezhu Malai, informed me that the director was interested in casting me in his next. Honestly, I wasn't familiar with his works. Then I watched Peranbu and his other films. Once he narrated the one-line, and then read through the five-page synopsis. I immediately accepted the film. Ram sir was kind and also keen that I understand the character and situations, so he took the help of a Malayalam translator to translate all my dialogues."

'I am a Vijay fan'

While Tamil cinema industry might have been new for Grace, the language was not a barrier since she has been an avid fan of Tamil movies since childhood. "I have grown up watching Tamil films, and I have been a fan of Vijay sir since my school days, so being in a Tamil film wasn't really a culture shock for me. However, the scheduling of shoots varies in both industries. Back in Kerala, a 30-day shoot wraps up in 28 days; here it extends. I do not mean it as a complaint.