Laila: I don't want to do mother roles

Imagine growing up loving ballet, a dance form known for its flamboyant sweeping movements and command of space. And then years later, your acting career meets the inevitable evolution of technology, and suddenly you are within the constricting vertical frame of a phone. Laila headlines Sun NXT’s recently released micro drama, Move On Rajeshwari. However, the actor, who shared screen space with the biggest stars of cinema like Vijayakant, Mohanlal, Suriya, Ajith Kumar, and Prabhu Deva, says her decision to do the micro drama came from her newfound freedom as a performer. “Back then, I had the pressure to chase after bigger projects. Now, I can focus on finding interesting characters.Now, I can do more roles. It is quite liberating. That’s why I experimented and did Move on Rajeshwari.

Laila is quite observant of how the audience preferences have evolved. She understands that you cannot fight the waves and the only way forward is to surf with it. “Everyone is constantly on their phones and everyone is looking for quick entertainment. That is why micro dramas are catching on. Each episode is just 2 minutes. They are already very popular in countries like China and South Korea. We just started,” says Laila. The actor confesses that she had not heard about micro dramas until she was approached for Move on Rajeshwari. On whether she feels restricted while trying to tune her performance for a constricting frame, she says, "I wouldn't say 'restricting', it was just different and it was fun. The camera moves around but you cannot move around much and you have to be conscious of the shorter frame. When you are performing with a co-star, you have to make sure you cannot stand apart. But you still have to perform like you normally would." Even as micro dramas are tuned to a shorter attention span, it doesn't mean that they adopt the frenetic editing style you would normally associate with social media. Laila explains, "A lot of the episodes were single shot sequences. The geography doesn't change as much but there are not a lot of cuts. Most of the scenes are conversational. The episode ends when a conversation ends, and of course there is a cliffhanger at the end of every episode. That aspect challenges you as a performer."

Even as she goes into the technicalities of filmmaking with passion, Laila confesses to not being a moviebuff. And yet, this month marks the actor's third decade in the film industry. Even as she feels grateful, Laila explains how a not-a-moviebuff went on to cross thirty years as an actor. "I never wanted to be an actor," she begins. "I was 15 when I did my first film, Dushman Duniya Ka, and it took director Mehmood three weeks to convince me to act in the film. I only did it because he was such a gentleman and he said, ‘Don’t worry I will look after you like my daughter,’ and he did. I am what I am because of him."

And then, Laila made her Tamil debut with the 1999 Vijayakant starrer, Kallazhagar. According to the actor, the shift to focus more on South Indian films was not a strategic career move but a decision motivated by comfort. "Once I started acting, I got a lot of offers in Hindi films, but I really value my privacy and I hated the idea of people knowing me in Mumbai. So, when I got offers in the South, I was very excited because now I can have the best of both worlds," she says. Privacy always comes first for Laila. The actor recounts the time she left her cast and crew baffled when they found out that she got married in the middle of shooting and none of them knew. "I was working with Mohanlal sir in Mahasamudram (2006) when I got married. I quietly went and came back for the second schedule and by then the word got out. Everybody on set was surprised,” she laughs.

Another aspect that Laila values a lot is honesty. That is perhaps why she gets candid when asked if she is getting the kind of roles she wants. "No, people are not writing the kind of roles I want to do. I am always looking for new and interesting characters. I want to do interesting roles with layers, I don't want another typical 'mother' role." She adds, "That is why I found Rajeshwari in Move on Rajeshwari. She is interesting, she is a successful businesswoman, and has everything under control but she does not have a life partner. People around her are trying to get her married and she struggles to adapt to the current dating scene. I love how the central theme of the series is that you can still find love after 40." Even though she confesses to not being up-to-date on what goes on in the film industry, she still fosters a deep love for the medium. "Films are a fantastic medium for propagating new and interesting ideas. Society is getting more broad-minded and I would love to see films reflecting societal change," says Laila, who thinks she could take up direction at some point in her career. Ask what kind of films a Laila directorial would look like and she is quick to answer. "I would love to make a thriller, something with a lot of suspense." On her favourite thriller, Laila thinks long and hard and gives us an unexpected answer. It is not the popular name usually associated with the genre. The actor's favourite thriller is the 1996 Cameron Diaz-starrer, Head Above Water.

As far as wishlist goes, direction is quite further away for Laila. However, on what role she would like to revisit again, she recounts a recent conversation with director Priya. "I was just telling her how I would love to do a sequel to Kanda Naal Mudhal. We have thought about it a lot but she is busy with other projects now. Priya, Karthik, Prasanna and myself are still really close and I think we would love to get back on set again." She agrees that if at all Kanda Naal Mudhal 2 happens, it has to be a Yuvan Shankar Raja musical. "That is one person we cannot do without," she concludes with her characteristic smile.