An unexpected comeback

At the other end, Samvrutha Sunil sounds so happy and content. She is at the location of Nayika Nayikan, a reality show for aspiring actors, through which she made her comeback after a sabbatical of six years. Samvrutha is one of the three panel members of the show that is broadcast on Mazhavil Manorama. “It was an unexpected comeback for me,” she says with a laugh. Actor Kunchacko Boban and director Lal Jose, two people who are close to her on and off the screen, form the rest of the panel. “Chackochan and I are mentors. Our responsibility is to motivate participants. Lal Jose sir gives judgments,” says Samvrutha. She says it was the mentorship part that attracted her to the offer.

“I am still a learner. I am not experienced enough to be a judge. That was also my concern when the television people approached me with this project. But then when they said that I am a mentor, I agreed to do it,” says Samvrutha. “I had listened to a few scripts in between. I didn’t pursue them due to various reasons. Some stories were not compelling. Some were interesting but I had some practical difficulties. My son was too small then. It was difficult for me to leave him and go to work. The offer for Nayika Nayakan came at the right time. My son had turned three and I was relatively free. I thought I would give it a shot. First of all, a project like this from a reputed channel will definitely have its worth. I didn’t have to think twice when I heard Lal Jose sir’s name. He brought me to cinema and that was my guarantee.”

But she was a little apprehensive about audience feedback. “I was dubious because I had not done such a programme before. But the channel folks encouraged me. I came with the least expectations. I was expecting trolls and negative comments. But it turned out well. I am grateful and happy,” she says, laughing. Another concern was participants. “I didn’t know the number of participants or their calibre — whether they all would be able to pull it off together. It is because the quality of a show depends upon contestants’ performance.” However, all her fears vanished into thin air once the first schedule got over. 

“They have been performing like experienced hands since the beginning. So we had no doubt about the success of the show. Now, they have become famous and established and have got fans too,” she chuckles.   “It is a good platform for them. Usually, aspiring actors go and meet directors seeking chances or they create portfolios. For our participants, this stage is their resume. They are all winners. No need to look back. They will get their space.” What she finds as a blessing for the participants is the exposure and grooming they get on the show. “When I did my first movie, I had zero knowledge about cinema and acting. I was not aware of camera angles and other technical sides. I was in the industry for eight years. When I look back, I feel that it was during the last leg of my career I gave my fine performances.  But these kids are well aware of all aspects of cinema — be it acting, dialogue delivery, dubbing or camera angles, they are good at everything. Thanks to the grooming sessions.”

In her words, this platform is a give and take. She shares her experiences, and in return, they teach her too. “The first two years of my career were not so good. I debuted as a heroine with Rasikan but had to be satisfied with character roles or second leads in the next few years. My movies didn’t fare well at the box office in the first two years. I felt low and was on the verge of giving up acting. It was then I got blessed with three consecutive hits — Chocolate, Hallo and Arabikadha — in 2007. I returned to the heroine status. Since then, I never had to look back. It is this graph that I have to share with the contestants,” says Samrutha. 

“There will be ups and downs. We shouldn’t be adamant that we will do only lead roles. Be a part of good movies or work with good directors — this is one of the lessons I have learnt. Another thing I want to impart to them is about behaving on the sets. A set comprises different kinds of people. With money and fame, one may feel that she or he's become someone big. But these are temporary. If we leave a good impression in people's minds, it will last forever.” Samvrutha is in awe of the industrious contestants. “They are very dedicated. We shoot a whole schedule in one go, which means they have to prepare for tasks for more than one episode in a day. They do it neatly and give their best,” she says. “I am also surprised to see that they have no inhibitions. When I started my career, I was very conscious of the ambience while doing romantic sequences. But our participants are not at all bothered about the ambience or body language while acting. They want to give their best and they focus only on that. All these were lessons for me,” adds Samvrutha. 

“Also, they would share their grooming tips on stage. That too is new knowledge for me because I never had a grooming session,” she smiles and says she thoroughly enjoys the phase. “I realised that people still love watching me on screen and listening to me. I feel happy when they say my costumes are nice and I still look lean,” she adds. Did she miss movies? “When I was in the US, I thought I wasn’t missing movies. But when I came back to field after six years, put on makeup and sat in front of the camera, I realised how much I missed it,” says Samvrutha, who keeps a track of Malayalam movies. She is aware of the new wave in cinema. “The filmmaking pattern has changed. While watching the new movies, I often think how it would be working with them and how they conceive those ideas.” She assures that she will return to Mollywood if good projects come. “I am listening to scripts. The thing is I don't have much free time now. I have more responsibilities. If I get a project that I can do without compromising my responsibilities, I will definitely do it,” she signs off.