I still can't believe I've won an award alongside Urvashi chechi: Beena

Beena R Chandran is quite busy after her Kerala State Award win, for Best Actress, which she shared with actress Urvashi. Running from venue to venue for felicitations and interviews, Beena, a school teacher by profession, in a quick chat, told us she is quite excited.

The actress, who won the award for her performance in Fazil Razak's Thadavu, says, "When I was told about the role, I felt it was one of the finest I was offered. Fazil is someone who nurtures film as his passion. I felt it was my responsibility to make sure his film got the best of me. I was a bit tense because it was the central character. But it was received well and I am very happy about that," says Beena.

Mimicry, mono acting and more..
Besides being a film and theatre actor and a teacher, Beena is also a mimicry artiste, who is also proficient in mono acting. In fact, she secured first place for both art forms in the Kerala State Kalolsavam during her school days. "My sound is a bit rough now. Since I am a teacher, I was advised not to do much mimicry. Even then, I try and do it sometimes," she says.

Life as a teacher
Beena is an Upper Primary (UP) teacher who teaches languages. "My students are great. I used to be a little upset that I was only teaching at the UP level, but now, seeing the kids' love for me, I don't want anything else. They come and hug me as soon as I enter the school gates. My colleagues are also very supportive," she says.
Writing plays with an objective
The actress also writes and directs plays for her students. "There is this belief that students who don't study in English medium schools won't have good basics in the language, which is not true. We involve all our children in the plays so that they all get the confidence to speak and perform, proving naysayers wrong," she says. "And no matter what, it's very satisfying when our own plays are staged rather than an existing one. Some of us teachers script and stage them ourselves," she adds.
On winning alongside Urvashi
Beena says she grew up looking up at Urvashi in awe. "I still can't believe I've won an award alongside her. I loved watching Urvashi chechi's films. I used to wonder how she acts so easily with such grace. I had watched Ullozhukku and felt they (Parvathy Thiruvothu and Urvashi) acted very well," she says.

A still from Thadavu

I understood Beena's acting range while working on a short film: Fazil Razak
Prior to Thadavu, Beena had worked with Fazil in short films. "I am so happy for her. Ours was a team of freshers, mostly. But for such a win to come our way, it's beyond words. I understood her range when she acted in the short film. In fact, it was Beena teacher who helped me cast a lot of artistes in my films and short films. She is well versed on most of the things that go into filmmaking," he says.





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