In an era when Malayalam cinema’s screens blazed with the firepower of Mammootty, Mohanlal, and Suresh Gopi, there stood one woman who matched them punch for punch—Vani Viswanath. For audiences, Vani Viswanath has always been the ultimate action queen. Known for her commanding roles that often rivalled the hero’s screen presence, she carved a niche for herself in Malayalam cinema as a force to be reckoned with. After a hiatus of nearly 15 years, Vani is making her return, not with glamour, but with grit. Having stunned viewers as Ittiyanam in Rifle Club, she is now back in a police avatar—though not in uniform—in the film Azadi, starring Sreenath Bhasi. In a candid chat with Mathrubhumi.com, Vani spoke about her comeback, her iconic past, and why she’s glad she chose roles that resisted stereotypes.

When she was preparing for a comeback, it was Azadi that came to her first. Rifle Club followed soon after. But it was Rifle Club and her guest appearance in Oru Anveshanathinte Thudakkam that reached theatres first.

“Azadi offered me the kind of role I like and that the audience who loved me would also appreciate. I play a police officer under suspension. The story progresses through intense interactions and confrontations between me and Sreenath Bhasi’s character,” she said.

Years away—but never far from cinema

“I never really left cinema,” Vani said. “My life always revolved around it. Babu (husband and actor Baburaj) was active in films, and we are, by nature, cinema people.” But she found joy in something more fulfilling—raising her children.

Her daughter is now studying medicine and her son is in Class 12. “When they grew up, I thought about acting again,” she said. “I didn’t miss cinema as much as I found joy in parenting. But after Rifle Club released, many told me the comeback should have happened earlier. I too felt that maybe I let some good years slip by.”

'Action queen' by choice, not chance

She was the first choice to play women who stood up to Mammootty, Mohanlal, or Suresh Gopi on screen. “That itself was a joy. Such roles were a challenge, but I liked it,” she recalled.

“Back then, heroes had all the ‘mass’ moments. I too wanted roles like that—and so I started doing action-oriented parts. That’s how the shift to action heroine happened.”

“I’m remembered because of those roles,” she said. “If I had played only soft characters who served tea or carried the hero’s bags, maybe people wouldn’t have remembered me. Many women have told me that they saw in me a version of themselves standing up to injustice. A girl once told me her mother wanted her to grow up to be like me. That’s the kind of joy you carry for a lifetime.”

Willing to take on any role—if it’s meaningful

“I’m open to any kind of role now. Even mother roles. But they should be impactful, not just a character who appears briefly and disappears. If the role is strong, I’m willing to play a mother—or even a grandmother.”

She’s currently listening to scripts in Malayalam and is selective about projects. “It’s not about doing too many films. I want the ones I choose to be like Azadi or Rifle Club—strong and meaningful.”