‘Vishal is a dedicated actor’

Actors from Kerala have always graced the Kollywood screen in various capacities be it as a lead, a character actor or in shades of grey. The recently released 'Pandiya Nadu' starring Vishal has strong Malayali ties with the female lead, played by Lakshmi Menon, a song sung by Remya Nambeesan and classical dancer Soumya Satish playing Vishal’s mom.

A well-known dancer, who started learning at the age of five, Soumya’s tryst with the silver screen happened by chance. Talking about the 'Pandiya Nadu' experience, Soumya says, “I got the opportunity to play Vishal’s mom and director Bharathiraja’s wife in the film. To share screen space with a personality as great as Bharathiraja was indeed an experience to cherish. Although Bharathiraja sir, being a director, was very interested in the technical aspects of the film, once the action starts, it is sheer pleasure for the rest of the cast to watch him act. The same can be said for Vishal, who is a very dedicated actor.”

Bharathiraja has a substantial role in the film as Vishal’s father. Acting in a Kollywood film is not a new experience for Soumya, who has already done the Sasikumar film 'Sundarapandiyan' in which she played Sasikumar’s mother. Soumya’s debut film in Malayalam was 'Nivedyam', as Bharat Gopi’s wife. She then went on to do other roles. It was not lack of offers that made her shy away from tinsel town, but lack of time. She mentions, “I have a full schedule — my dance programmes, classes and also my TV anchoring — because of which I could not find time for film projects.” She also mentions that she is also interested in choosing those roles which she can do justice to. She has received a couple of offers from Tamil films, which she is considering taking up.