Honey Rose looks completely different in real life, slimmer and very girly next door. As she sits down to chat, her assistant asks if her face needs a touch-up, which she politely declines, though she says hello. She is visibly excited about Rachel, her first Malayalam film of the year, which is scheduled to release on December 12. Especially since he is the main lead character of the film.
It’s a full-circle life moment for the actress, who made her debut in 2005 with Boyy Friend, as she plays the lead role, for the first time in Malayalam, in a film directed by newcomer Anandhini Bala. “I am so happy and excited about the film. I hope that as an actress I get the recognition that Rachel has and that my work and myself are looked at differently,” says Honey. Her seriousness, proof that she is deeply invested in the film and the role.
She admits that this role, very different from what she has done before, required hard work – both in preparation for it and on the job. “Rachel is set in the 1970s and 1980s, it’s obviously a very different period, so it takes more work in terms of costumes and language. Add to that the fact that she’s a butcher. Cutting meat is not easy. I spent time with a butcher to understand how it’s done because there are different ways of cutting. There’s also a way to rock it, it requires a very physical role as a cleaver, and one that’s physically demanding.” Other challenges included filming with buffalo herds and driving a jeep.
What makes Rachel even more special is that this is one of those movies that she was a part of right from the start. “Anandhi came up with a single component of the story, that got me very excited. Since then I’ve been part of the process, in that sense my involvement in the film is very different from what it was. I literally traveled with him. Usually you don’t even see the script. I’d go on set, do my work and go home.” Rachel, a revenge drama/thriller, is based on a short story by Rahul Manappattu, who wrote the screenplay with Abrid Shine. The film was supposed to release earlier this year.
“With this film, I hope people stop seeing me as the ‘inauguration star’!” Her honesty is endearing, tinged with a touch of self-deprecating humor. “I’ve been doing these inaugural events for the last 17-odd years. But it’s only recently, in the last 3-4 years, since the rise of social media, that it’s become such a big news. Until then, I’ve been quietly doing the ribbon cutting. I quite like it: the people, the atmosphere of the crowd,” she says, enjoying the attention she’s been getting over the years. There’s no mistaking her amusement for the fact that she doesn’t mind. She cut back on these appearances to focus on this film. Although she did not make many films, she started her own production house HRV Productions.
This film is an attempt to rewrite the script and her role in the Malayalam film industry. “My family asks me why I am still working here. I am very passionate about cinema, especially Malayalam cinema and I want to be an actor. This is my need, I have to do it for myself. I have managed to convince them so far,” says Honey.
There is a glimpse of her vulnerability when she says that since she has yet to prove herself as an actor, her family’s reservations are justified. Hailing from a business family in Moolamattam, her first exposure to film was the shooting of Vinayan Meerayude’s Dukhavum Muthuvinte Swapnam near her home.
She was watching the set when someone from the crew asked her if she wanted to be an actress. “I think I was in class 9. He asked me about it in front of the crowd that had gathered to watch. Anyway, we met Mr. Vinayan who told me I should think about movies when I’m older.” This idea took root and a few years later she met an experienced director and made her first film.
Honey Rose in ‘Rachel’ | Photo credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Her breakthrough role was to come in 2012 as Dhwani Nambiar in Trivandrum Lodge. Since then, she has been a part of films including Tamil, Kannada and Telugu film industries. At first, acting was difficult, he admits. “Back in the day, movie sets were very different. If you weren’t really interested, you were yelled at. Reprimands were common. When I got the shot right, I’d get nervous. Over time, I grew to love it.”
Honey wants to be recognized as an actor, he wants to prove his worth. Rachel is the kind of role she believes will help her in this. “It’s not that I didn’t get offers, but they weren’t what I wanted. This is very different. I want to consciously change how I’m perceived, cinema is my biggest passion.”
Rachel is released on December 12th
Published – 06 Dec 2025 21:40 IST
