Why six-time state award winner Urvashi is a force to reckon with

There is never a dull moment when veteran actor Urvashi is on screen. Her performances and characters have never been mundane, ranging from -- playing the jealous wife in 'Thalayanamanthram', the mentally challenged girl in 'Kakkathollayiram', the forward yet shy woman in 'Mazhavilkavadi' or the supposedly-difficult woman in 'Bharya.' The list is endless. Her ability to play the most diverse roles with finesse and infuse them with emotions that each character demands makes her one of the best actors in Malayalam cinema.
In one of the recent interviews, post the success of her latest outing 'Ullozhukku', the interviewer described her as the 'Meryl Streep' of Mollywood. Her co-actor Parvathy too quickly seconded the opinion, a statement one cannot deny. It must be remembered that Kamal Haasan too once praised Urvashi, stating that she is a great actor. Though he has acted with Urvashi in a number of films, including 'Michael Madana Kama Rajan' and 'Andha Oru Nimidham', he once even admitted that he was afraid to act opposite her, due to her impeccable comic timing.

Priyadarshan too has praised Urvashi's comic timing in the past. The duo had collaborated in the 1993 film 'Mithunam', but the filmmaker had to wait another 28 years to work with the superstar. In 2023, he released 'Appatha', with Urvashi playing a mother who has to leave her pickle-making business at home and join her son and daughter-in-law in Chennai. “I was looking for the perfect role for Urvashi. Appatha was possible only because of her. We could execute the comedy scenes well because of her ease at handling Malayalam and Tamil languages,” Priyadarshan said in an interview with Film Companion.

In 'Ullozhukku', she cemented herself as an irreplaceable actor in Malayalam cinema. Urvashi, who acted in over 700 films, has also had several successful other-language outings. Her first role as a heroine was in the Tamil film 'Mundhanai Mudichu' directed by K Bhagyaraj. Her performances in 'Magalir Mattum', 'Pullakuttikaaran' and ‘Irattai Roja’ among others were well received. Though she has been doing fewer films compared to the past, the actor has made a strong return by playing powerful mother characters in recent years.
Her performance in the 2020 Tamil film 'Soorarai Pottru', in which she played the role of Pechi (mother of Soorya’s character Maara), was also noteworthy. She recently played a desperate mother in Suresh Mari's film 'J Baby' and a heartbroken, confused mother-in-law Leelamma in 'Ullozhukku'.

Six state awards to her credit
Urvashi won her first state award for Best Actress for her performances in 'Mazhavilkavadi' and 'Varthamana Kalam' in 1989. Though she had lesser screen space in 'Mazhavilkavadi' directed by Sathyan Anthikad, Urvashi played Anandavalli with so much conviction. In 'Varthamana Kalam' directed by I V Sasi, she plays a helpless woman who has to face sexual assault a couple of times and also resign to her fate.
In 1990, she played Sukumaran's (Sreenivasan) wife in 'Thalayanamanthram' directed by Sathyan Anthikad. Urvashi perfectly essayed the emotions of a jealous wife Kanchana, who is disturbed by the comfortable life her sister-in-law lives. The negative shades she portrayed in 'Thalayanamanthram' won her the state award that year.
In 1991, Urvashi, who already had two state awards to her credit, went on to win her third award for Best Actress for her performances in not one or two, but four films, a rarity in Malayalam cinema. In 'Kadinjool Kalyanam', she plays a stubborn wife with childish traits while in 'Kakkathollayiram', she essayed the role of a sweet, mentally challenged young woman. Her performances in 'Bharatham' and 'Mukha Chithram' were also well praised.

After 1991, she received her fourth state award for her performance in 'Kazhakam' in 1995, where she played Devi, who develops a motherly attachment to the tenant's young son Kannan. The actor who continued to be active in films earned her fifth state award with 'Madhuchandralekha' in 2005. She secured her sixth state award for her emotional performance in Christo Tomy's film 'Ullozhukku', which hit theatres in June, this year.