Not many aspiring actors manage to land a launch like Zarin Shihab did back in 2019. Despite having only limited screen time in Raj & DK’s spy thriller series The Family Man, Zarin skillfully portrayed the character Sahaya Mary, a nurse pivotal to the show’s plot, leaving a lasting impression on viewers with her debut performance. Nevertheless, she has been selective in her acting choices, prioritising quality over quantity since then. As a result, Zarin is now gaining significant recognition, especially in her homeland of Kerala, through films and roles that inspire her to push her creative boundaries.
The latest addition to her brief yet impressive filmography is Anand Ekarshi’s debut feature Aattam (The Play), which premiered at the 28th IFFK, receiving rave reviews. Now, as the film prepares for its theatrical release on January 5, Zarin, whose performance captivated viewers at IFFK, eagerly anticipates the broader audience’s opinions. At its core, the film revolves around a woman who experiences sexual assault in a space she had considered safe and Zarin plays the role of Anjali, the only female member of a drama troupe called Arangu, comprising 12 male actors along with the director.
Mentioning that she was captivated by the project even before they started filming and at the time of auditioning itself, Zarin Shihab said she realised her desire to be a part of Aattam after understanding director Anand Ekarshi’s vision. “Actor Vinay Forrt (who plays a key role in Aattam) was also present during the auditions. There were five shortlisted actors and I was one of them. A top-tier actor like Vinay making himself available for auditions with shortlisted candidates does not happen often. Also, the project appeared highly intense right from the start, solidifying my certainty that I wanted to be involved in it from that very moment,” she told The Indian Express.
One notable strength of Aattam, which ensures a seamless fusion of play and film, lies in the extensive theatre backgrounds of almost all the actors. Zarin herself has done theatre for seven years. However, aside from her and Shajohn, all others are seasoned theatre artistes with a minimum of 15-20 years of experience. Despite finding it initially challenging to meet these actors at the bar they were accustomed to performing, she noted that the 35-40 day workshop before filming proved significantly helpful. “Here, you are essentially performing a play within a film. The veterans in Aattam, drawing from their experience in classic Malayalam dramas, exhibit exceptional physical movements. The most experience I had in that aspect was through Kalaripayattu. So, the rehearsals helped a lot.”
Anand Ekarshi’s debut feature Aattam hits the theatres on January 5. (Image: Joy Movie Productions/Instagram)
Though the movie includes outdoor scenes too, a notable part of it unravels inside a house, showcasing character interactions, discussions and verbal conflicts, making Aattam a chamber drama as well, alongside its various other elements. For Zarin Shihab, embodying the character Anjali posed a major challenge due to the film’s dialogue-heavy nature and extensive back-and-forth exchanges. “Another difficulty I encounter as an actor is that when someone delivers an exceptional performance in front of me, I tend to become absorbed in it. The sheer brilliance unfolding before me draws me away from my own character and headspace. In Aattam, it happened quite a few times and I sometimes found myself temporarily adrift and needed to refocus on the present moment,” she recalled.
Zarin expressed gratitude to Aattam for instilling in her a more disciplined approach to her work and for encouraging her to view acting as a profession without romanticising it. “When you approach it as a job, your life becomes more disciplined. With discipline, you can achieve more enduring and fruitful results,” she explained. As the first member in her family to enter the film industry and that too without any prior connections, Zarin noted that this disciplined mindset also contributed to fostering better relationships with her colleagues.
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When asked about the most touching response she received for Aattam at IFFK, Zarin shared a comment from a viewer expressing that there was a profound truth in her performance.
For Zarin Shihab, the 28th IFFK was also an event that celebrated her acting choices and prowess. Besides Aattam, Shruthi Sharanyam’s B 32 Muthal 44 Vare, another film in which she played a significant role, was screened at the fest and garnered substantial praise. While her performances in both movies were consistently spectacular, she particularly excelled when her characters had to convey inner turmoil with limited expressive freedom. When discussing her approach to challenging acting moments, where conveying significant emotions is required with minimal means, Zarin emphasised that in both cases, the respective filmmakers consciously avoided making the conflicts explosive.
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“Emotional explosions are easy, right? This is harder to pull off for both the performer and the technical crew since it requires more clarity on how to enhance the moment through other aspects of filmmaking. I don’t think any other reaction, like a proper external one, would have worked better in that moment,” she said. “For me, the most challenging aspects on set involve the physical conditions of heat, hunger, lack of sleep etc. Earlier, I used to easily get distracted by these factors. But now, I use such discomforts to enhance my performance and turn them into assets,” Zarin added.
At their core, both Aattam and B 32 Muthal 44 Vare address workplace harassment — a subject films intentionally avoided in the past. Nonetheless, these films underline that there’s a gradual shift in addressing such matters. When asked if cinema can inspire societal changes, Zarin elaborated, “I am still trying to ascertain whether that is actually possible. I still perceive movies as a form of escape, though not as grandiose as the escapism offered by movies like Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. Although Aattam belongs to a very intense zone, it still engages people. Despite not being an easy or comfortable watch, it manages to entertain. However, it also encourages people to pose questions for which we may lack answers and sparks a dialogue among viewers. I believe the most impactful movies are those that linger with you even after leaving the theatres. Although cinema is a significant medium with broad reach, I don’t believe it’s reasonable to anticipate social change or impact from such a medium.”
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Before landing such significant roles in Malayalam, Zarin Shihab also appeared in the series Jugaadistan and the Bollywood sports drama Rashmi Rocket, among other works, and lent her voice to the podcast Darr Ka Raaz with Dr Phobia, balancing between different mediums. Despite this, she emphasises that working in Malayalam has always been her dream, and the transition to this industry was intentional. “When I auditioned for Family Man in 2018, the OTT boom had just started in the country. I didn’t know what I was auditioning for. They didn’t inform me that it was a Prime series or that it featured Manoj Bajpayee. Nevertheless, it was received very well. Even in the midst of that success, I knew I wanted to work in Kerala and be a part of the Malayalam industry.”
However, The Family Man was not her first-ever step toward fulfilling her dream of becoming an actor. Since her early 20s, Zarin has been diligently working for it, and even during college, she was actively involved in theatre and participated in short films. “I always believed that with hard work and persistence, something positive will unfold, even if you might not be able to quantify or identify it accurately at that moment.”
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When queried about the projects she is most enthusiastic about in her current lineup, Zarin mentioned having two works. The first is a movie titled Ithiri Neram, directed by Prasanth Vijay, where Zarin will share the screen with Roshan Mathew. Additionally, she is also playing a key role in a web series helmed by Krishand, known for films like Aavasavyuham and Purusha Pretham.
“Ithiri Neram is a delightful slice-of-life movie depicting the reunion of two exes after a long period. It ventures away from the intense, serious zones I am typically associated with in acting (laughs). The shoot for Krishand’s web series will begin in January and I am quite excited about that too,” she signs off.
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