Dazzling debut

It was going to be just another normal day for Gouri. Then, she decided to try her luck in an audition and appear for a screen test for director C. Prem Kumar’s debut movie 96, after seeing a Facebook post. And it turned out to be one of the best decisions she had ever made. “Days went by, I got selected for the role, acted in the movie which had a stellar cast with Trisha Krishnan and Vijay Sethupathi in lead roles, and it got released to become a massive hit,” says Gouri in one stretch. “Everything is still surreal to me,” she expresses her ecstasy.

Gouri G. Kishan, who won many hearts with her mature performance in the romantic-comedy, says acting was not on her mind until the moment she appeared for the audition. “I just gave it a shot.”

When asked how excited she was to work in a movie that has Trisha and Makkal Selvan Vijay Sethupathi, Gouri says she was super happy, but sad for the fact that she could not share screen space with them. Of course, there were no combination scenes because she played Trisha’s childhood. “I was sad and felt jealous towards Adithya Bhaskar who played the role of young Ram. Adithya was in the old students’ meeting scene!” giggles Gouri.

Gouri, a bold girl and a go-getter in real life, has so many similarities with the character Janu and she says it really helped her to get into the skin of the character. “I believe I am a bold person. I have my own opinion on every matter and don’t hesitate to express it. That is one of the reasons why I am doing my graduation in journalism. The character Janu, as you could see, was also very expressive and had her own unique ways of expressing love and opinions. She was not even afraid not to sing Ram’s favourite song whenever he requested to. That says a lot and I could relate to that boldness and straightforward nature with my character.”  

Though she is a Malayali, Gouri has been in Chennai for the past 14 years. Her proud parents Geethakishan and Veena, and ever-supportive brother Govind are thrilled because people recognise her whenever they are out in the public. “Even in Bengaluru, where I am doing my graduation, people come to me with broad smiles which makes my day. I know that playing the childhood role of Trisha is not an easy task. I believe I did justice to the role and that’s why they recognise me. I am happy for that.”   

After watching herself on big screen, Gouri was totally overwhelmed. She thinks she could have done better in one or two scenes, though. “First time is always special and I was overwhelmed to see myself on the screen. But when I saw the movie again, I felt I overdid in a scene and could have done better.”

A movie buff, Gouri has her own tastes and she is really proud of the Malayalam film industry. When asked about her love for Mollywood, she says, “Our industry has been a revelation for the past few years. Malayalam cinema has always been a class above, but now we have set a benchmark. The number of Malayalam movies that are being dubbed into other languages proves our worth. As a Malayali, I am proud of our films and whenever a new movie is out, I don’t wait long to watch it. I even recommend it to my friends in Chennai and Bengaluru.”

Gouri, who is also a trained Bharatanatyam dancer, is very passionate about journalism and hopes to do something that is good for society. Opportunities are pouring in for her from Tamil and Malayalam, but she wants to handle everything, and does not want her studies to be affected at any cost.