It is very rare to come across a role that is either woman-centric or performance oriented and has the scope to show off one’s acting skills. Karthika Nair, who comes from a family of talented artistes including her aunt Ambika and mother Radha, has bagged a role which showcases her ability to act, dance and perform stunts in the recently released Tamil film Purampokku Engira Podhuvudamai (PEP) starring Arya, Shaam and Vijay Sethupathy.
PEP takes a critical view of private property, privatisation and repression by the State. At the outset, Karthika informs us that she does not play a heroine but is one of the heroes. “No matter what, it is still a hero dominated industry and it is very rare for a female actor to get such a role. This is a film where there are three mainstream heroes. Director Jhananathan has created a powerful role, a once in a lifetime opportunity.” Karthika plays Kuyili, a Communist rebel who is an activist. “The film is about three ideologies,” she says.
“You won’t see me in flowing sarees, fancy makeup and hair. I play a very subtle character.” Speaking about women-oriented scripts, Karthika feels there is an increase in such scripts across the industry with many directors realising the importance of woman power. She opines, “When heroines are used just to add glam factor, it is actually a colossal waste of talent. I would blame the writers because it shows ‘lazy writing’. It is the writers who should take the lead to pen strong, woman-oriented scripts and understand that women are also important to play central roles.” That said, Karthika admits that she is not averse to doing glam roles herself.
Having started acting soon after Class X, Karthika tells us she was a nerd who was always found with her nose buried in books and was a school topper.
She admits, “Even when I got my first film, my first thoughts were about my exams. A heroine’s shelf life is limited, no matter how popular she is. Multi-tasking is no more a big deal, so I did not want to compromise on my education.”
She springs a phenomenal surprise when she reveals that she has completed her degree from the London School of Economics in International Business. A little sad at not getting a distinction because of the tough syllabus, she says she was over the moon at wearing a gown and tossing her hat up during her Graduation Ceremony held in London with international students. She quips, “That was my Oscar moment.”
Last seen in Kamath And Kamath starring Mammootty and Dileep, it has been a while since she was seen in Mollywood. Karthika cites her busy schedule as the reason. She explains,
“To deliver a quality film in the South, at least a year goes in the making. I could have over-burdened myself and done three films in between, but I wanted to enjoy the whole experience and so took it slow. I have been selective in choosing scripts and I believe that in the South, language is never a barrier. The accolades I got for acting in Ko were not restricted to only the Tamil audience but was appreciated by fans in Kerala and Bengaluru. That is when I realised that language should never be a barrier while selecting a script.”
Acting with big directors and actors has never been a yardstick for her to choose roles. The script and, more importantly, the production house are critical for her. She explains,
“Even if it is a new director or a debutant hero, if the production house cannot deliver the film in the end, all the hard work goes to waste.” Her next Tamil film with a new director, Vaa Deal, shows that she practices what she preaches.
