Aparna Gopinath

Peering through her professional looking glasses and with a no frills dress pattern, Aparna Gopinath hardly looks a typical Malayalam film actress. Perhaps her looks reveal her approach to movies and also her background. The main forte of Aparna has been her serious theatre acting and her specialising in western dance forms. Her entry into movies may, however, have happened due to a combination of circumstances. Both her parents were movie buffs, always discussing about films, and were very much infatuated with the screen exploits of the veteran matinee idols of Malayalam cinema like Mammooty and Mohanlal. While this may have indirectly coaxed Aparna into films, the fact that she herself was a theatre artist from her childhood days facilitated and expedited her entry into the world of movies. Being basically from Chennai, Aparna was actively involved with the progressive theatre groups there, prior to her entering movies, and she had acted in several classic plays both in Malayalam as also Shakespearean plays in English. In her maiden film “American-Born Confused Desi” (ABCD)”, she co-starred with Dulquar Salmaan, son of matinee idol Mammootty, and portrayed the character of a college girl. The fact she got the main female role and acted opposite one of the big names was not the only satisfaction for her, since the film was a tremendous success at box office, and drew much appreciation for her acting. This was a much bigger bonus for her. However, in spite of this commercial success, she made her intentions clear that she had no plans to portray the typical run of the mill roles in her movies, but would prefer more challenging roles in future films. Perhaps her role in her next film “Bicycle Thief” which was thriller and not a stereotyped move, she found her preference being fulfilled at least partly, as her acting in the role of a Bank employee was also much appreciated by the movie goers. In her subsequent films like “ Mannar Mathai Speaking 2 Click to look into! >> Read More... ” - an out an out comedy, and sequel to the original 1995 version; and “ Happy Journey Click to look into! >> Read More... ” she had put in creditable performances once again establishing her acting credentials. She is also getting a chance to act alongside the veteran Mammoothy in the more recent film “ Munnariyippu Click to look into! >> Read More... ”, but acting apart, she still actively pursues her dancing aspirations, teaching others also in the process.