Vijay made me feel comfortable: Nandita
Actress Nandita speaks to DC about Puli and how special the film is to her...
By : anupama subramanian
Update: 2015-07-22 00:57 GMT
If she was addressed ‘Kumudha’, which was the name of her character in Idharkuthane Aasaipattai Balakumara earlier, this vivacious beauty is now known as the ‘Puli girl’. The shy and simple pavaadai thavani girl we see onscreen, Nandita is totally different in reality. She is bubbly and sometimes even drives from Bengaluru to Chennai herself for her shoots.
Her new photo shoot shows her in a westernised image. Is it a conscious effort to prove that she can also fit into such roles? “I have done 12 movies in two and a half years. What you see now is the ‘real’ Nandita. I did my own makeup and hair. It was just that the roles I had been offered were simple and rural. I was happy that I got those opportunities to establish myself,” Nandita says.
The moment you talk about Puli, her eyes glow and she gets excited. “Wherever I go now, people call me ‘Puli girl’ and I really enjoy it. One day I got a call from producer PT Selvakumar sir who asked me if I would like to be part of Vijay sir’s Puli. For a moment, I wondered if I was hearing things. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of a big project like Puli? When I heard the narration of my role, I simply loved it, and without wasting time I gave my nod,” Nandita says.
Ask her if she is paired with Vijay and she is quick to respond. “I am not allowed to talk about the story. But I can say that I am one among the three heroines in Puli, the other two being Hansika and Shruti Haasan. Also, my role is a prominent one and I have a new look.”
Having shot for seven days with Vijay, she is all praise for her co-star. “I was very nervous and a bit conscious on the first day of my shoot with Vijay sir. But he was unassuming and down to earth. A thorough professional, he really made me feel much more comfortable,” he says.
Nandita considers celebrating her birthday on the sets of Puli with Vijay as one of the biggest moments in her life.
“I wish to work on my birthdays. It was unbelievable that I celebrated my last birthday (April 30) on Puli sets with Vijay and the entire team,” Nandita reveals in a delighted tone.
She is teaming up with Vijay Sethupathi for the second time in Idam Porul Eval. “I am essaying a farm girl from Kodaikanal . I have gone deglam with tan makeup to suit the strong and intense character that I play in the movie,” she tells DC.
She is one actress who has managed to stay away from controversies so far. (Laughs) “I don’t chat unnecessarily and am generally quiet on the sets. For me my work is very important and all my focus is on that. No sooner is my part of the shoot over in the evening, do I prefer to get back to my hometown Bengaluru,” she signs off.