STR comes in late, but is a one-take artist: Manjima Mohan

It is a dream come true! Because it was Gautham Menon sir, I asked no questions (not even the script). I simply jumped at the offer. I had a wish list of filmmakers I wanted to work with even before I joined films — and Gautham was the second in it!” quips Manjima Mohan, the M’town actress who is making a simultaneous debut in Tamil with GVM’s Achcham Yenbadhu Madamaiyada in Tamil, and Sahasam Swasaga Sagipo in Tollywood with two dashing heroes, STR and Naga Chaitanya.

Curious, we ask her who was first on her list? “Who else, but Mani Ratnam sir, obviously,” giggles the young actress. Talking about her role, Manjima says, “I play Leela, a simple, homely girl-next-door you can connect with. There are no specifications for her character. It’s a journey of two people, what they face and how they fall in love.”

Admitting that acting simultaneously in the same film with two languages with two different actors was an enjoyable process, she quips, “I love to work 24/7 and for me it’s AYM and SSS from morning to evening. There’s no call time even for me! I am almost like a set property (laughs) —  heroes keep changing and scenes keep changing. Yes, it was a bit difficult with dialogues because I am not very familiar with Telugu. Sometimes, there would be long lines of dialogues, which I had to learn in Tamil and Telugu on the same day. At times, I would get confused and zone out. But, Gautham sir supported me throughout. He would tell me not to worry about the lines, but focus on the expressions. I usually get irritated when I watch films where the actors’ lip-sync go for a toss, so here, I tried my best to get it corrected. I did the dubbing myself for the Tamil version!”

“The chartbuster song Thalli Pogathey is a gift from AR Rahman sir to me as well as to the entire team,” reveals Manjima. “I listen to this song first thing in the morning every day. Gautham has shot the extraordinary number at beautiful locations in Turkey for the Telugu version — while for Tamil, we shot at Bangkok.”
Talking about Chai and STR, she says, “Both are diametrically different. Chai is very professional and STR is a natural — he doesn’t prepare, he comes to the sets, simply watches and does what is required, sometimes, probably more! Chai and I end up preparing ourselves well in advance. He is hardworking and punctual. If there’s a 9’o clock shoot, Chai is there by 8.55!”

As we prod further, she says, “STR may come in late, but there’s never more than one take for him. We’d be rehearsing for ages, while STR would take a few minutes and get ready for the shot — which would be okayed at the first go itself. I asked him why he comes late to the sets, to which he replied, ‘I can’t be a robot! In my mind, if I am ready to shoot, I will come. I don’t force myself if I am not ready.’ Whenever he comes to the sets, he finishes his work quickly. I respect his decision, so stopped asking him.”

Narrating how she tried to impress Gautham, she comments, “I had never shared my dream of becoming an actress with anyone, including my parents. During my second year of college, I went to Lloyd’s Tea House with my friends. I saw Gautham sitting there, working on his laptop. I tried to grab his attention, but in vain! I told my friends that five years from then, I would be Gautham sir’s heroine. My friends would bully me, asking if I had even watched his movies. ‘His heroines are very pretty,’ they would say. They never considered me a girl in the first place, as I was very tomboyish. Today, it has come true, ha!”

Being slightly on the plumper side, there have been stories about how a popular filmmaker rejected her for his film. “True,” she confesses, adding “I am on the fatter side! But I didn’t think much about it as Gautham wanted me as I looked then. It only hit me when I faced my first rejection from a big filmmaker who said I looked fat. I was totally put off! I had gone there with a lot of hope.” (shrugs)
All said and done, having chosen this field, and understanding the need to look fit and good — Manjima says she is working on shedding those extra kilos. She also admits that her dad, cinematographer Vipin, and mom, a popular dancer from Kalamandalam, are a big plus for her.

“I have known this industry for a long time and nothing excites me.  If someone comes and tells me ‘oh you are so beautiful’, I don’t get carried away! Right from my childhood, my dad kept saying that everything around us is temporary. Coming from a filmy background has helped me stay grounded,” she elaborates, as she signs off.