5 min readKochiMay 3, 2026 04:04 PM IST
The year 2013 marked a major turning point in the career of actor Ansiba Hassan. Although she had appeared in a handful of movies by then, after her acting debut in Innathe Chinthavishayam (2008), Ansiba was in desperate need of a career breakthrough, which finally arrived in the form of director Jeethu Joseph’s Drishyam. Her performance as the eldest among Mohanlal and Meena’s two daughters drew attention, leading to more opportunities.
However, 2013 was also the year when Ansiba faced one of the biggest heartbreaks of her career, losing an opportunity to play a significant role in a Prithviraj Sukumaran-starrer by a whisker. A character that would have catapulted her to great heights, Ansiba recently said she even refused to watch the film initially after it hit the screens, as she was still upset that she had failed to seize the opportunity.
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Celluloid, JC Daniel and PK Rosy
Helmed by legendary director Kamal, Celluloid (2013) was based on the life of JC Daniel (Prithviraj), widely regarded as the father of Malayalam cinema, and his journey to making Vigathakumaran (1928), the first Malayalam feature film, as well as the events that followed.
Alongside Daniel’s life story, Celluloid also chronicled how he came across PK Rosy, cast her in Vigathakumaran as the first woman to act in a Malayalam film, and the tragedy that befell her when a large mob of savarna Hindus took offence to a lower-caste Rosy playing an elite woman on-screen. This reportedly turned violent and resulted in an attack against Rosy and her home, forcing her to flee the locality and the state itself, seeking solace in Tamil Nadu, where she lived the rest of her life.
While the role of PK Rosy was eventually played by Chandni Geetha, who received widespread praise for her performance, Ansiba recently revealed that the character was hers until about one week before Celluloid went on floors. However, everything changed quickly, and it slipped through her fingers. “I had attended the audition, completed the look test and screen test, and was officially selected to play PK Rosy in Celluloid. Beyond it being a biopic, I was immensely excited about getting to portray Malayalam cinema’s first-ever heroine on the big screen,” she shared during a conversation with Originals Entertainment.
How Ansiba lost the role of PK Rosy to Chandni
Ansiba continued, “However, a week before the shoot started, Kamal sir happened to see Chandni singing in a reality show. Feeling she would be more apt for the character, Kamal sir conducted a look test with her and finalised her. They (the film’s team) then informed me about this. I was devastated when I heard it. By then, I had already told everyone I had landed the role and would be acting alongside Prithviraj. So when I lost the opportunity, I felt really low. I spent that entire day locked in my room. I didn’t tell my family at first.”
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Revealing that the incident affected her emotionally, the actor stated that she initially refused to watch Celluloid and felt angry at her family for pressuring her to do so, despite knowing her reasoning. “Even after the filming was over and the movie was released, I wasn’t willing to go watch it. I only went because my family insisted. The tickets were booked at the Apsara Theatre in Kozhikode. When they called me, I told them I wasn’t coming. My family members watch every movie on the first day; at that moment, I felt like they had no regard for my emotions. Even now, whenever I see the song ‘Enundodi Ambili Chantham,’ my only thought is, ‘That was the role I was supposed to play.’”
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About Celluloid and Ansiba
Celluloid opened to positive reviews and ended up bagging seven trophies at the 43rd Kerala State Film Awards, including Best Film and Best Actor (Prithviraj). The movie also featured Sreenivasan, Mamta Mohandas, and Nedumudi Venu in key roles.
Ansiba is currently gearing up for the release of Drishyam 3, the third instalment in the eponymous franchise. The movie will hit the screens on May 21, coinciding with Mohanlal’s 66th birthday.
