Kochi: Films were never a part of Komal Jha’s dreams but destiny dictated that she be a part of tinsel town. A self-confessed nerdy student and a college topper, she says that she is from a very orthodox family, where her father is a philosopher and a published author and her mother a professor.
She remembers her college days spent wearing traditional outfits with oil in her hair and burning the midnight oil. All her efforts paid off when she completed her civil engineering course and landed a job in Dubai.
A break from her Dubai job had her visiting a shopping mall, where a director spotted her. She says, “The director was working on a Malayalam movie titled 24 Hours and offered me the female lead. I refused at first but later completed the movie. I hated myself in the movie because I felt I did not look good.”
After her debut, Komal went on to do a couple of ads for some Kerala brands and though she got offers, things did not work out well.
She went on to act in five Telugu films as well as a Kannada film, but Komal retains her love for Kerala, Gushing, she says, “I love the traditional numbers from old films and I just love the song Anuraga Vilochithinaayi. I love the Malayalam industry because they make sensible films which touch your soul, and have amazing music and wonderful technicians at the helm. I want to act in a role that showcases my acting skills and not my skin. I also want to be known as an actress not as a glam doll!”
Incidentally, she is also the brand ambassador of a food chain in Kochi. She reveals that she has been getting offers from Malayalam but wants something better than her initial film. Prithviraj is one of her favourite actors, reveals the actress who quit her job to pursue acting.
What currently has her very excited is her upcoming Bollywood project with T-Series — a romantic, family entertainer where she plays a sweet Indian girl.
She adds, “Hindi is my mother tongue and I love nothing better than acting in Bollywood.”
The actor, known to speak her mind, says, “I either make friends for life or enemies for life. But the people in my life are permanent. The rest do not matter.”
