Short action flick ‘Maya Unleashed’ is proof of the power of a woman wronged. Showing courage in the face of danger, Maya, a young woman, takes on three strangers trying to get close to her on a night alone.
Popular stage actor Maya S Krishnan, who has worked in films as well, plays the lead.
The film is directed by Marc David. Yannick Ben, who coordinated the stunts in ‘The Family Man’ (Amazon Prime Video), is the action director.
After its release online, this short unleashed a wave of compliments for Krishnan. The prized moment was receiving a text from actor Madhavan appreciating her performance.
Three years ago, Ben directed Krishnan on the sets of ‘Dhruva Natchathiram’ and was impressed with her ability to perform stunt sequences and was keen on doing an action film with her.
“Ben was happy to know that I am a national gymnast and a fitness freak into gyming and yoga,” said the former engineer who quit a regular nine to five job to pursue her love for acting.
This March, Krishnan travelled to Paris where she underwent two weeks of intense training. Prior to that, she also practised boxing for a few days in Chennai.
“We shot outside the Eiffel Tower. The training was to make me agile and work on my reflex movements, punches and ju-jitsu locks,” said Krishnan.
“It was not easy, being winter in France and we practised barefoot. From the second week we were shooting simultaneously. It’s like a dance routine — getting the steps right,” she added.
There were injuries of course. She freaked out seeing her second toe swollen after a sprain. Sometimes her punches landed faster than she intended leaving her co-actors injured.
Calling Ben and David perfectionists, Krishnan added: “They won’t compromise for anything mediocre. Unlike in India where stunt scenes portray a larger than life image, Maya is not a super woman, but a normal person with her moods and fears. There was unlearning to do.”
The short was initially titled ‘Maya.’ Director Gautham Menon improvised it to ‘Maya Unleashed’.
The short film is a precursor to a feature length movie that is being planned.
The Madurai native is on cloud nine having ticked off one box on her wishlist; she always wanted to do an action film someday.
‘Maya Unleashed’ is now streaming on YouTube.
