Director Rosshan Andrrews looked no further to find the two lead actors for his latest flick School Bus.
While his daughter Anjelina bagged one of the roles—after an audition—Aakash, son of his friend and Bollywood cinematographer C. K. Muraleedharan also debuted with the movie.
The rest is history as both the children rode the School Bus to fame and to the hearts of Malayali audience. Interestingly, both of them were not keen on working on movies, especially Anjelina, who had not even acted in a play.
The children, post-release of School Bus, have decided on their future. Anjelina, a student of Standard IV, will not be acting, but will be focusing on her studies. Standard VIII student Aakash, on the other hand, is looking forward for more roles.
“Those who watch me audition, liked my performance. Though I don’t have any acting experience, performing before the camera was not difficult. I just did as papa told me. I didn’t need glycerin to cry—I cried when papa scolded me,” Anjelina, a student of Gregorian School at Maradu, said.
If finding Anjelina was easy, getting a child to play the role of the son of Jayasurya and Aparna in the movie was not that smooth. Andrrews met Aakash first when the director went to the Muraleedharan’s house in Kottayam, after being informed of the demise of the latter’s mother.
“Though I had acted in school plays, I was not keen on interested in acting in movies. When Rosshan uncle asked if I would be interested, others at home said it is a huge opportunity, and I agreed. Acting was not difficult, except for crying. I used glycerin,” Aakash said.
A student of J. B. C. N. International School in Mumbai, Aakash said everyone who had watched the movie praised his performance. “My father pointed out some drawbacks, which I will correct next time,” Aakash, now a star in his Mumbai school, said.
The director speaks
Making children act is not a difficult task. In fact it is interesting too. If they understand what we need, they will present a sterling performance. I knew Anjelina’s mannerisms, so I just had to tell her to repeat it. Both the kids overcame their inhabitation after attending the rehearsal camp. What I liked the most in Aakash is his smile.