Manju and Garbo

Manju and Garbo

I happened to see Manju Warrier the other day at Fab India. It’s almost ten years since she quit films. But she looked refreshingly young which left me wondering ( as I have done over the past few years} why she left movies at the peak of her career. How her fans like me cursed Dileep for cutting short a fabulous career abrubtly.

To me she is the best female talent to emerge in the last couple of decades in Mollywood. She was in the films just for four years during which she acted in about 20 movies. She has handled both comic and serious roles with ease and élan. I believe that whoever can do that is a good actor. Mohanlal is one classic example.

I’m often tempted to slot her as the best actress in Malayalam films. Had she continued for some more years she would have been definitely there. If you look at other great actresses in Malayalam films, most of them excelled in either serious or comic roles. But none has excelled in both genres like Manju did. For instance Sarada and Shobha have done well in tragic roles ( It is a bit unfair on Shobha as she acted only in a few films before she commited suicide). Urvashi has an excellent flair for comic roles. Sheela, Jayabharati, Shobhana, Revathi , Meera Jasmine are all good actresses. But I think Manju is in a different league altogether. Perhaps, a debatable point.

The manner in which she made her exit from films brings a comparison with Hollywood star Greta Garbo, who left films to lead a life of recluse in the 1940s. Both are fine actresses and both are born under the sun sign Virgo. The only difference is Manju got married and moved away from films. But Greta Garbo remained a spinster shunning all publicity till her death.

One can only wish that she come back to films and inspire scriptwriters and directors with her cinematic presence and acting ability.