Actor Sheela on evolution of work culture in film industry: ‘It is a more relaxing affair now’

“The first film’s shooting for the day used to start at 7 am and would go on till 1 pm. At that time, Vijaya Vauhini and AVM were where all the shootings took place. The distance between various locales hence was just one floor each. The second call sheet was between 2 pm and 9 pm. 10 days of this 2 pm-9 pm call sheet and a film would be done; 10-15 days of the 7 am-1 pm call sheet and another would be done. There was another call sheet from 2 pm to 5 pm which would be taken towards the end of the shooting to shoot the climax scene or for doing the last patchwork,” she recalled.

“Those were the times when in the morning I would act as Prem Nazir’s mother, then as his wife in the noon and in the evening as his girlfriend.”

Recollecting the way in which songs were shot back then, the septuagenarian said: “We never had choreographers. We ourselves used to come up with dance steps, just like how kids would if they heard a song. It was only when I did the role of a professional dancer that we hired choreographers from the Tamil and Telugu industries. Malayalam filmmakers, especially K S Sethumadhavan, never liked the practice of breaking into a song with professional dancers in the background. ‘Which couple in a romantic relationship would do this,’ they used to ask. He never allowed it.”

When she was asked about the issue of gender pay gap, Sheela rubbished the arguments and said that remuneration was decided based on the demand an actor has among audiences and not based on their gender. “If a film has both a renowned female actor and a lesser-known male actor, the makers would definitely pay the former more than the latter.”

Referring to the entire debate on actors’ remuneration, Sheela said: “Now everyone wants actors to charge lesser salaries. You go and call these actors because you know people will make a beeline to theatres to see these artistes. If otherwise, why not hire someone else? There is no point in any of this. Actors don’t have to reduce their remuneration.”

Sheela, who is known for her performances in classic Malayalam films such as Chemmeen, Kallichellamma, Vazhve Mayam, Velutha Kathreena, Oru Penninte Kadha, Sarsaiya, Yakshaganam, Kutti Kuppayam, Sthanarthi Saramma, Kadathanaattu Maakkam, Kannappanunni, Akale, and Manassinakkare, will be seen next in the romantic comedy Anuragam, which will hit screens on May 5.