If Tamannaah Bhatia set the screen on fire with Kaavaalaa in Jailer, it’s Shamna Kasim who has audiences grooving to her moves in Jailer 2 with Ala Bolelo.
The songs by music director Anirudh Ravichander have become a major highlight of the Jailer franchise, and both these actors have become an intrinsic part of the films. In an exclusive chat with NDTV, Malayalam actor Shamna Kasim, aka Poorna, who shuttles between Dubai and India, talks about working with superstar Rajinikanth and Ala Bolelo.
With Ala Bolelo going viral and viewers loving her dance moves in the song, how did the Thalaivi actor feel when she got the call for Ala Bolelo? “It was a big surprise for me! The song happened because of Kurchi Madathapetti, the song I had done in Mahesh Babu’s Guntur Kaaram. Director Nelson Dilipkumar was very keen on having me perform Ala Bolelo, as that song had given me a good reach. The song has a Malayalam touch and they wanted a Malayali for it. I must thank Nelson sir, Sun Pictures and the entire team for giving me this opportunity. Being part of a film like Jailer 2 is a big thing. When they called me and said they wanted me for a song in Jailer 2, I was like, ‘Is this real?’ When I got the call, I didn’t tell anyone – not even my husband or my mother. I thought I would wait and see if they called me back. Within a week, everything was finalised, including the discussions and the shoot. The entire process happened very quickly, and we shot the song in six days,” gushes Shamna, who is on her way to Malaysia for the release of Jailer 2.
In fact, Shamna was pregnant with her second child during the shoot of this song, which she discovered much later. She laughs and says, “Even I didn’t know about it! So how could I tell anyone? If I had known I was pregnant, I don’t think I would have done such a physically demanding song. I had combined the shoot with a vacation and travelled to India. After the six-day shoot for Jailer 2, I had to travel to Bengaluru for the climax portions of my Telugu film Akhanda. That’s when I recognised certain symptoms, since it was my second pregnancy. By the time Ala Bolelo was released, I had a little baby in my arms!”
Most actors have said that working with superstar Rajinikanth initially makes them nervous, and Shamna Kasim was no exception. She recalled feeling intimidated about dancing in front of the superstar and says, “I had a few shots with Rajini sir, and I was really nervous. Imagine having a superstar standing in front of you and having to dance! I was wondering how I would manage it. After one of our shots together, Rajini sir told me that I had very powerful eyes. That made my day! Even now, whenever I look at my eyes, I remember what he said.”
With Kaavaalaa being a superhit in Jailer and now Ala Bolelo in Jailer 2, comparisons between Shamna Kasim and Tamannaah Bhatia were inevitable. But did that worry her? The Dasara actor replies, “I knew there would be comparisons, but Tamannaah’s song and mine belong to two completely different genres. I was confident that the songs were different, both in their style and choreography, and in our performances. But I was also a little scared because I knew this song played a very important role in the film. The team was extremely keen on getting it right. Until the rehearsals began, I didn’t realise that the entire song was focused on me. I thought I would appear briefly, but once the rehearsals started and I heard the song, I realised that the whole responsibility was on my shoulders. The way Tamannaah performed Kaavaalaa was fantastic – I don’t think I could carry off that particular style. The Ala Bolelo style of dancing was perhaps more comfortable for me. Yes, I knew comparisons were inevitable because there will be a comparison for each and everything, but my confidence came from the fact that these were two different kinds of songs.”
Dance has always been close to her heart, with Shamna being an accomplished dancer since her childhood days. “Whether you call me Poorna or Shamna, dance has always been an integral part of my life. I entered the film industry because of my passion for dance, and now I run a dance school in Dubai. I have been dancing since childhood, and I have won titles such as Kalathilakam. Dance has always been a huge part of my journey. Throughout my career, I have had songs that became big hits in their respective languages, but audiences of other languages didn’t know about them because we didn’t have social media at the time. After marriage and having children, I never expected to get an opportunity to perform in a film song like this (Jailer 2). I had always dreamed of a day when people across industries would recognise me for my dancing. That wish was always in my heart. I believe everything happens at the right time. Perhaps this was destined to happen after I had my two children,” the actor says philosophically.
Right now, Shamna is excited to watch the superstar’s film on the big screen in Malaysia on October 15. “My song was released, and now the film is also here. I am excited, and I want everyone to watch it on the big screen!” signs off the Ala Bolelo girl.
