At all of 10 years, Ann Maria is an angry young woman. The unlikely protagonist in Midhun Manuel Thomas’s ‘Ann Maria Kalippilanu’ sent the director on a nationwide hunt for an actor who could handle the difficult role.
Ann Maria can’t help but react to situations the grownups choose to ignore. She sets off a chain of events that is sure to keep the audience glued to their seats.
The major challenge for Thomas, the director of ‘Aadu Oru Bheekarajeeviyanu’ was the selection of a child actor who could take in Ann Maria. He went on a cross-country search for an actor, even considering the girl who shot to fame with her association with Salman Khan in the monumental hit ‘Bajrangi Bhaijan’.
Finally, Ann Maria found her match in Sara Arjun, the cheerful actor who acted in ‘Daivathirumakan’ with Vikram and ‘Jazbaa’ with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.
The child actor proved to be a true professional, the director testifies. Sara arrived at the shooting location only after learning all her dialogues. She had spent a month going through the script over and over again.
The bubbly girl would transform into the angry Ann the moment the director says ‘action’. Her cheery demeanor belies the professional actor in her. And she has the added advantage of working with mature artistes, Thomas says.
The movie is set for release on August 5. It has a star cast including Aju Varghese, Sunny Wayne and Shine Tom Chacko and, hold your breath, a cameo by Dulquer Salmaan.
Thomas and producer Alice George insist that the role is crucial to the movie. “Only Dulquer can do it,” Thomas says. He says the suspense is worth the wait.
