Malayalam actress Ananya

At a time when glamour rules the roost in the industry, not many have the courage to say no to glam roles.

Ananya, a Malayalam actress who is now making her debut in Tamil with Nadodigal, is different.
Says the actress, “I just want to play nice characters. I only look at how strong my characters are and how my costumes in the film will be. I don’t want to do glamour roles. I believe that an artiste can survive in this industry by doing good character roles alone. I don’t think one can survive on glamour. Even if that is the case, I don’t want to do such roles.”

The lass, who is elated that she has been a part of a good project, plays director-cum-actor Sasi’s girl in the movie. She says, “I play Sasi sir’s pair in this movie. It’s a joyful character which has a specific mannerism. It is so wonderful. I’m so grateful to God that I’ve got a good film to debut with in the Tamil industry.”

Going on to state how she landed the role in Nadodigal, the actress says, “It was director Kani (Samudrakani) sir and Kathir (the cameraman of Nadodigal) anna who first saw my pictures. They then met me and realised that I looked lean and fit. They asked me how I had managed to cut down on my weight as I looked a little plump in the pictures. I told them that it was through diet control and exercise. They then asked me to come for a photo shoot, after which they selected me to play the character of Nallamma in the film. I think the movie has come out nicely. It was a pleasure working on this project as everybody associated with it was very helpful.”

Helpful? We ask and she replies with a smile, “On the first day of shooting, I was not able to understand a single word of what the crew was speaking. It was then that Sasi sir and the director decided to teach me Tamil. For the next 15 days, they taught me Tamil and I reached a stage where I was able to understand what was being said. The whole crew talked to me in Tamil. Now, you hear me speaking in Tamil.”

Ananya made her debut in the Malayalam industry with the movie Positive. Apart from her Tamil project, she also has two other Malayalam films, including Rahasiya Police, waiting to hit the screens.

Says the actress, “Rahasiya Police is a crime thriller in which actor Jayaram plays a double role. The movie is expected to release on July 4.”
So, does she have any other Tamil projects on hand? “There have been offers but I have not committed myself to doing any at the moment. I’m waiting for Nadodigal to release as I’m eager to see the response to the film,” she signs off.

Actress Ananya Talks About Seedan Movie

Actress Ananya just can't stop herself from talking about Seedan, her upcoming film with director Subramaniyam Shiva, at every opportunity she gets. The film, she claims, was a big learning experience. "In both Nadodigal and Seedan, I play a girl everyone can relate to. In this film, I play Mahalakshmi, a girl employed in a huge household. An orphan, she has several commitments in life and has three sisters to take care of. What happens to her is what the film is all about," begins Ananya. The actress says that she has watched Nandanam, the film's original Malayalam version, several times. "Navya Nair got a state award for playing the protagonist. She was brilliant in the original. However, I haven't tried to reproduce her style in this film; rather, I followed Shiva sir's instructions," she says.

In Seedan, she's paired opposite Krishna, a newcomer. But Ananya insists that the actor was anything but that. "He understood his character and performed like a pro," she compliments.Ananya didn't have a release in Tamil last year, but she says Seedan is worth the wait. "I had a lot of expectations for my second film in Tamil. And, getting to work with Shiva and Dhanush was more than I could have asked for. Dhanush was so down-to-earth and he didn't act like he was a senior in the industry. In the film, he plays a cook and instructs me on how to do household chores like cooking and cleaning!" Interestingly, Ananya has won an award at a district-level cookery contest twice by making 53 food items in three hours! "Ironically, Dhanush teaches me how to cook in the film! But then, it was fun seeing him come to the set armed with kitchen tips and new menus every day." On a concluding note, Ananya maintains that she will never take the glam route to stardom. "I've done 13 films in the south Indian film industry and till now, have stuck to my principle of not doing glamorous roles even if I'm paid a bomb. I will do so in the future too and continue to act in meaningful films," signs off the actress.