Archana Kavi Instagram – “Reeling back to the beginning of my career with the movie Neelathamara, I have always held my experience as a rulebook to refer back to. Everything in it, right from getting selected unexpectedly to watching the audience’s amazing response to the introductory shot of Kunjimalu’s photograph on the first day, the first show at Padma theatre, was a great journey. Lal Jose sir’s set was a great learning experience – his work ethic, the energy and the warmth the set exuded and many more. The punctuality and the discipline we maintained never hindered the amount of fun we had on set. To me, that was my foundation and Lal Jose Sir was my film school. In all my ventures, be it writing, acting or any other aspect of filmmaking, I try to infuse the lessons I learned from there. I was an extra-curricular kid at school. No matter what the event, I made sure to put myself out there on the stage as a performer. Most people around me expected me to be in the media business, even if not as an actor. By the time I reached 12th standard, I was a popular kid and that was when I failed my Maths boards. I felt slapped. I started distancing myself from people out of sheer humiliation. I kept in touch with just one friend, to whom I vented all my frustration of being ragged and whatnot. But one day, she shared a tiny problem of her’s and I lashed back at her, as her problem felt insignificant compared to what I was going through. But to this day, I carry with me the lesson she gave me. ‘Just because your problems seem bigger to you, doesn’t mean others’ seemingly small issues are unimportant.’ To them, that might be the greatest upset in their life and that hit hard. Never cut yourself off from your friends and family, because they mould your life for the better. As a beginner in the industry, people used to tell me that there are no friends or enemies in cinema. I found it a superficial claim at that point, but it is true. Change is the only constant. (Continued in the comment section) By: @meeeeee_nu Kerala