Kavya Madhavan versus Meera Jasmine

  • IndiaGlitz, [Saturday,July 17 2004]

Kavya Madhavan, who started her career in films as a child star in "Azhakiya Ravanan", has completed 25 films.

Incidentally, in both her first and 25th films, she has been paired with Mammootty, the ageing super-star of Kerala.

The very young Kavya, though she had the good fortune to act opposite giants like Mohanlal and Mammootty, was catapulted to the top slot through her hit films with Dileep.

The Dileep-Kavya Madhavan pair is considered the hottest and most saleable pair in Malayalam films now.

Kavya's 25th film is Sanjeev Sivan's "Aparichithan". Sanjeev Sivan is the youngest of the sons of former cinematographer Sivan to enter the film scene. Internationally known cinematographer Santosh Sivan and filmmaker Sangeet Sivan are his elder siblings.

Mammootty acts as a wildlife photographer in the film, while Kavya Madhavan, along with girls like Manya and Karthika, acts as a college student.

Now that she has completed 25 films, the question that arises is: will Kavya continue to rule the Malayalam cinema scene?

She may be a commercially successful star, but there could be competition from Meera Jasmine.

One has to only see Meera's award-winning performance in T.V. Chandran's film "Paathham Onnu Oru Vilaapam" to notice the challenge. She has also had a huge commercial hit like "Swapnakkoodu" last year.

Even renowned directors like Mani Ratnam see a spark in Meera, and the result is "Aayutha Ezhuthu" where she even delivers her Tamil dialogues commendably.

Talent apart, Kavya would need to look after herself better. Already the 19-year-old appears too heavy for her age. She also needs a good wardrobe.

Meera carries herself very well in all kinds of dresses and has maintained a lithe body.

At the same time, Kavya has been accepted well by the Malayali audience. That, and the demand for Meera in the better-paying Tamil and Telugu film industries, may yet ensure that Kavya continues to reign in Malayalam cinema.