'I even said no to a Mammootty film': Bhavana talks about her long break from Malayalam movies

Bhavana has spoken openly about why she stopped doing Malayalam films for some time. She said the decision came suddenly. No one forced her. It was fully her choice. At that time, she felt okay with it.Bhavana revealed in an interview with Galatta Plus, “Suddenly, I felt the need to take a break from Malayalam cinema. At least for some time, I thought that if I wasn’t acting in Malayalam, I didn’t need to be aware of what was happening there.” She explained that the break was for her own peace. “That break was completely my own decision.” Bhavana felt that stepping away would help her feel calm.Even when Bhavana was on a break, many people from Malayalam cinema contacted her. Her friends kept calling her and asking her to do films. But she said no to all of them.Bhavana said, “Even then, my friends from the Malayalam film industry would call me and ask me to do films. Aashiq Abu, Prithviraj, Jayasurya— I even said no to a Mammootty film.”She said she does not know why she rejected them. “If you ask me why I said no, honestly, I don’t have an answer.” Bhavana added that at that time, she felt fine with her decision. “At that time, I was okay with that decision.” During that phase, Bhavana worked mainly in Kannada cinema. She said that space felt safe for her. “I felt safe in Kannada cinema. I had no plans at all to return to Malayalam films.” Her life became very simple and comfortable. “I was content in Kannada cinema—going to work, coming back home, watching what I liked. I was in my comfort zone.”She did not think about returning to Malayalam cinema. She was happy doing what she was doing every day.Bhavana also shared how she came back to Malayalam cinema through 'Ntikkakkakkoru Premondarnn'. At first, she rejected that film too. “Even after a break of four to five years, when Ntikkakkakkoru Premondarnn came to me, I initially said no.”She did not want to read the script. “When they requested me to at least read the script, my answer was still no.” She explained her fear clearly. “I felt that if I liked the script and still had to say no, it would be painful, so I didn’t want to hear it at all.”Later, her friends asked her a simple question. She said, “When asked what point I was making by distancing myself from Malayalam cinema, I didn’t have an answer.” That made her think. Just like she decided to take a break suddenly, she also decided suddenly to return. She read the script, liked it, and did the film.Now, Bhavana is back. Her film 'Anomie' is her 90th movie. Her character Sara Philip was introduced with the words “Re-introducing Bhavana.” The film releases on January 30 and has already received good response for the glimpse video which was release recently.