Ann Augustine is the new star on
the Mollywood firmament. It is
Ann's sunny disposition and lack
of pretensions that help her
shine as an actor
Ann Augustine looks like the girl
next door. And that is her USP.
As she gingerly steps under the
arc lights, her mix of confidence,
disarming candour and lack of
pretentions endear her to people of all ages. Although she
has just returned from an
interview for a television
channel, she looks delightfully
fresh in a simple salwar-kameez.
Missing are the starry airs, the heavy make-up, chunky jewellery
and the ornate hair-do.
“I have never been enamoured of heavy make-up or gaudy
clothes. Make-up is invariably
some kaajal for my eyes and
some lip gloss and I am ready to
face the world,” laughs Ann (spelt without an ‘ e'), who had a sensational debut last year in Lal
Jose's Elsamma Enna Aaankutty.
It was not that of a sister or a
decorative, helpless heroine
whose only job is to help the
hero go places. Ann's was a plum author-backed role in a film that
completely revolved around her
character.
With her gamine looks and petite
frame, she stood out amongst
Mollywood's A-list of buxom, coy
heroines. Her ready smile and
sunny outlook won her several
fans while her acting won her raves from directors and co-
stars.
However, acting was the last
thing on her mind when she
reached home in Kozhikode for a
break after her examination.
That was when Lal Jose dropped
in to meet her father, actor Augustine. He came, he saw, she
conquered! Lal was convinced he
had his Elsamma the minute he
saw the spunky Ann. Soon, the
city-bred girl was facing the
camera as the rustic Elsamma in the high ranges in Central
Kerala.
Before the star dust settled on
Elsamma, Ann moved on to don
the role of the urbane Anjali
Menon, a journalist in Ranjith
Shankar's Arjunan Saakshi,
where she plays the lead with Prithviraj.
“Since it was Ranjith Sir's film, I did not think twice before
replying in the affirmative. It was
a pleasure to work with Raju
[Prithviraj]. I had heard he was
aloof, introverted, arrogant and
so on… On the contrary, he was such a big help. It was such fun
having him around on the sets…”
During the transition from
Elsamma to Anjali to Ranju (in
Three Kings), Ann also evolved as
an actor.
“When we were shooting for my first film, Lalu ettan [Lal Jose]
had to guide me for each scene.
In Arjunan Saakshi, Ranjith Sir
explained the scene and wanted
me to interpret it in my own
way. I enjoyed both. But, even now, before I sign a film, I consult
Lalu ettan, as I consider him as
my mentor. It is his confidence in
me that motivates me,” says Ann. In Three Kings, for the first
time, Ann also dubs for her
character.
And when she is not working
with happening directors and hot
heroes, or giving interviews, Ann
enjoys chilling with music, books
and friends. Old Hindi songs of
Kishore Kumar and Mohammed Rafi are her favourites, thanks
to her father's choice of music. “I have a close circle of friends and
I catch up with them on the
phone. My soul mate is a cousin
to whom I turn to when I feel
the need for some soup for my
soul,” says Ann.
.
Despite the early success and
media buzz, Ann refuses to act
the star. “Me, a star?” asks Ann, dissolving in a fit of giggles, as
her mother, Hand samma, smiles
in dulgently at her daughter' s
antics. “I am a nervous actor, a junior artiste taking my first
steps in cinema. I am waiting to
see how people react to Anjali,” she adds. Aware of the minuscule
life span of female actors in
Malayalam cinema, Ann says her
goal is to be a clinical
p sychologist and cinema is a
fortuitous miles tone on the way to her goal. Shine on, you sunny
star!
Eye for style
Ann has had several of her
young fans asking her the name
of her brand of kaajal she uses
to high light her eyes. “I tell them it is not the brand. It is the way
I do my eyes. I smudge the kaajal
after I use it to outline my eyes.
Initially, my make-up man was
horrified. But now, he has got
used to it,” she laughs. Fashion, for her, is comfortable clothing.
“My wardrobe has the usual stuff that most girls of my age
have– jeans, salwar-kameez, skirts, shirts, saris… Although I enjoy wearing saris, I find it
difficult to look elegant if I have
to spend a long time in a sari.”
Three Heroines I consider my self lucky to have
got such a range of roles so
early in my career and that too
with such great directors and
co-stars. While Elsamma, my first
character, is a village belle, Anjali Menon, my role in Arjunan
Saakshi, is an urban career girl
who is more like the real me in
her outlook. Moreover, if
Elsamma was a news agent, Anjali
is journalist. In V.K. Prakash's Three Kings, I play a silly nitwit
called Ranju, who does not have
a grey cell in her head,” giggles Ann.
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