I have been misunderstood: Taapsee Pannu

2011 was an year that saw several youngsters making an entry in Malayalam films, and though only a few of them have managed to make an impact, the ones who did, have done so in a major way. Here are five sparkling debuts that we saw during the year – in the fields of acting, direction, writing and production!

1. Unni Mukundan: With Babu Janardhanan’s ‘Bombay March 12′, arrived a dashing young actor, Unni Mukundan, who in his first film delivered a stellar performance that made people sit up and take notice. ‘Bangkok Summer’ followed, and though Unni couldn’t work up wonders this time, he was already being considered by many prominent film makers for their forthcoming films. This charming actor would definitely be one of the stars to look out for in 2012!

2. Salim Ahmed: Forget the National Awards that his film bagged, but Salim Ahmed’s film ‘Adaminte Makan Abu’ was appreciated as much by the ordinary viewers as the critics. The endearing film that showed signs of being made straight out of a heart, also had the mark of a director, who refused to give in to commercial considerations, while making a film that he truly believed in. Undoubtedly Salim remains the best director to have come up on the Malayalam film scene this year.

3. Syam Pushkaran & Dileesh Nair: As the year winds to a close, Salt ‘n Pepper still remains real close to our hearts. The writers, who confessed that they had been wto quite a few directors with their script, before Aashiq Abu gave them the nod, gave us one of the most tasty surprises of the year with the foodie film that talked of love and much more. Undoubtedly, these men have to be the best writing talents that have emerged in Malluwood this year.

4. August Cinema: A production house that was jointly formed by Santhosh Sivan, Prithviraj and Shaji Nadesan, August Cinema made a stunning production debut with the high voltage ‘Urumi’. And what’s more, they followed it up with one of the best films of the year – Ranjith’s ‘Indian Rupee’ – emphasizing the fact that quality of content is of great significance for them. August Cinema is the production house to look out for in 2012.

5. Meghna Raj: Meghna might have been a known name in the Kannada film industry for long, and ‘Raghuvinte Swantham Rasiya’ ‘August 15′ and ‘Pachuvum Kovalanum’ did nothing special for her career. And then, ‘Beautiful’ happened. Meghna proclaimed that she is here to stay – the best actress of 2011, for sure! Hence in the absence of another impressive female actor debut, we include her in the category for having rediscovered herself this year!