There may be only a handful of performances on the silver screen last year that may have moved the audiences the way that Biana W Momin’s portrayal of Mlathi Chettathi in the hit film Eko did. Drawing immense praise from critics, audiences and stars like Dhanush — Biana’s rooted portrayal of a woman’s journey from her homeland and into the hilly forests of Western Ghats in the Kerala-Karnataka border has left behind a deep impact in viewers’ minds. The film stays with you long after you finish watching it, with the lingering emotions of the final frames that feature Biana’s gripping expressions conveying a thousandemotions. As the first Garo actress in a Malayalam film and a retired educator, Biana considers this an ‘exciting’ chapter in her life. With the film’s OTT release creating bigger waves of impact, she opens up to Indulge about slipping into her first feature-length role, the challenges she faced during the filming and lots more!
You have been wowing audiences with your performance in Eko! How are you reeling in from all the rave reviews the film is getting?
It’s been some experience, I can tell you that! Something very different from my normal life. After retirement, I have lived a very quiet life at home. Suddenly, all this attention and to be brought back to work was different, but in a very good way. I am having something to do, something new, something exciting. This journey from an educator to acting is something I never expected. Everything changed in 2024 when Jennifer (D Areng) approached me to work on her short film — Mikjumang. From there, it went on and I’m thankful to all the people who have been part of my film experience. I’m really grateful to them because without their help and support, I don’t think I could have done it.
Your character is a standout in that film. And your performance, especially in the emotional finalé, has really got everyone talking. What’s that one characteristic or personality trait of hers that really helped bring a more natural touch ?
I found Mlathi Chettathi’s character very powerful. I found that there are many similarities in my own life as well as in hers. In my long life, I have faced many hardships, suffering, loss and betrayal. When I read and went in-depth into Mlathi Chettathi as a character, I realised she is also a woman who has suffered, who has lost people she loved and been betrayed. So, although I’m a newcomer, when the shooting started, I had nowhere else to turn except into my own inner experiences.
How did your background in teaching literature and studying characters and stories help you during your film-making pursuits?
When teaching literature, we have to bring out the characterisation. Sometimes you even have to act out the character itself to make the students understand more about their personality. I think, I have sort of been acting all my life, because whether it’s poetry or literature, you have to act out the emotions and feelings. In my teaching career, I also used to do that. Although education is something different from this, my experience in that field is not as different. If you are a good teacher, then you are teaching the students how to feel. I think that helped a lot.
You mentioned how learning the language was a challenge. How did you strike the balance between the lip-syncing and acting?
Honestly, I haven’t really learned the language, but I do know the nuances and the flow of it. When I picked up a word here and there, I could at least understand what they were talking about. The directors knew the difficulties they would face with me. They appointed Anjaly Sathyanath, who became my mentor, my teacher and my friend. I went to Kerala a whole month earlier, before the actual shoot started. Every day we would go on location, listening to the language. Learning the script, then listening to the language, how it’s spoken by the Malayalis — I think that’s helped a lot. Later on, I found it too difficult when I concentrated on speaking the script, I would forget about my acting. There was a clash. So, we invented a new type of language — a mix of English and Malayalam. I just spoke the English words which sounded like Malayalam. Some phonetics was involved and that was it. KPAC Leela has done a wonderful job dubbing over my lip-sync.
With Mikjumang doing festival rounds, can you tell us about who you play in that and its premise?
Mikjumang is based on a Garo folk tale. It’s about the transmigration of the soul into an animal. We have a belief that when you’re sleeping, when you are half awake or in a reverie, then your soul goes into the soul of an animal. And then you become that animal. You can remember everything that you did as well. So, this is a story about two sisters. But one of them is dead and her spirit is still living in an animal. So, my character, Agame, is a non-believer but circumstances after her death make her believe in it.
Eko is streaming on Netflix.