Sridevi has some sort of superpower

Did you cackle every time Ramamurthy made his strong South Indian presence felt in the film English Vinglish? Here’s a little secret. Though most of it was directed and sketched out before hand, it was Rajeev Ravindranathan’s spontaneity that added humour to his dialogues. Sitting across the coffee table, Rajeev, who performed his play over the weekend, spoke to us about Sridevi’s magic, and how he juggles advertising, film and theatre. Excerpts:

How did you manage to pull off your act in English Vinglish?
Rajeev Ravindranathan: Gauri (Shinde) was very clear that she wanted me to be the comic relief in the film. My role was to add humour and I had to work on that, because I wanted to bring about a balance between the stereotypical ‘Madrasi’ image and the actual. While there were dialogues and a background to work with, I’d often say something spontaneously, which would nail the scene. Sridevi’s comic timing is even better. It was her idea to say ‘iyyo’ when aeiou was written on the board. She is aware of everything that’s going on around her while shooting. It seems like she possesses some sort of superpower.

From Times of India

by Parinatha Sampath