Anu Menon, aka Lola Kutty, is returning to TV after six years with the comedy show Queens Vs Kings in which she will be leading a three-member girls’ team. Anu played her alter ego —the bespectacled, oily-haired Lola Kutty for seven years before taking a sabbatical from TV. “Soon after I quit the channel in 2011, I got pregnant. Also, I had done so much of TV that I decided to take a break. Stage has always been my first love and I was doing some stuff on the web, too. But now my son is five and I can be a little more proactive,” she reveals.
As for Queens Vs Kings, Anu says that she liked the idea behind the show. “It’s a fun concept. Moreover, I have never been captain of anything in school, so I didn’t want to let go of this opportunity,” she chuckles. Every episode will deal with a particular topic. Anu explains, “It is basically to do with the ‘isms’ — professionalism, romanticism, etc. There will be stand- up comedy, some games and of course, a tu tu main main between the girls and boys!”
Ask her if she will be reprising her Lola Kutty act and she says, “We had thought of doing that but it didn’t pan out. Hopefully, we will do it in season 2 if it happens.” How about bringing Lola back on TV? “TV has changed a lot. Lola is this unattractive lady who interviews Bollywood celebrities and asks absurd questions like ‘how much tax do you pay?’ At that time, there weren’t many talk shows, and this was a novelty, but now they are dime-a-dozen. However, I am open to bringing her back — I have the sari, jewellery, the bag, etc, but I need to reinvent her. It shouldn’t just be nostalgia,” she says.
Does she sometimes feel burdened by her alter ego? “You can’t resent something that you have created. I enjoyed playing Lola and a lot of people still remember me as that character. When they see the real me, half of them are disappointed that I am nothing like Lola and the other half is happy that I am nothing like her! It’s a bridge that the audience has to cross,” she signs off.
