In our Questions and Answers column we talk about commercial Linux distributions. Bala, as she is popularly known in her homeland, says Manipur cinema is more like a cottage industry compared to the multimillion entertainment market in Kerala. “We don’t have big banners or mega-budget projects, just a few privately owned film companies. I was awestruck by the industry here,” she says.Īs the first north-east girl to debut in Malayalam, Bala says she was more than excited when the offer came in. “Kerala was an absolute surprise package. Everything felt exotic, right from the language to food and clothes. At first I was not able to eat anything as coconut oil goes into almost every dish in Kerala. Coming from a land of mustard oil users I was totally uncomfortable with the local flavours. But now I can polish off plates of food with that typical coconuty taste,” says the actress who stayed in Kerala for a 20-day shoot. The actress adds that she was totally clueless about who Dulquer was when she signed the dotted lines. “When the contract came I didn’t know Dulquer was the son of a superstar. While shooting in Kerala he was mobbed by his fans a couple of times. It was the first time I came across such frenzy,” says Bala who adds in the same breath that Dulquer has been the most supportive co-actor she ever had.