Finding time for passions

At the other end,  Nisa sounds very happy because her portrayal as Thulasi in Ente Mezhuthiri Athazangal is garnering rave reviews. “I’m happy to know the audience has accepted my character.” Happiness echoes in her voice. “Thulasi is a  simple woman brought up in a village. She has a hard life and at one point, her path crosses with the hero’s journey. As human beings, we are quite  prejudiced about others and their life situations. But that may not be right always. Thulasi conveys that to the audience. Quite an emotional portrayal, I was happy to know that Thulasi left a mark on viewers’ minds,” says Nisa, who is surprised about the feedback.

“I didn’t expect this much appreciation while doing Thulasi’s role. There are only a few scenes. After watching the movie, V.K. Prakash (director) called me and said I maturely handled a character that could have gone melodramatic,” says Nisa. Ente Mezhuthiri Athazhangal is her third movie. Her first two movies — Careful and Praana — were with V.K. Prakash. “I did a small role in Careful. In Praana, which is centered on the lone character played by Nithya Menen, I appear as a newsreader.” Thulasi gave Nisa a face.   

A former journalist, teacher, model and actor, Nisa says trying her luck in different areas enriches her life experience. Nisa turned to teaching after working as a journalist for eight years. During her stint as a journalist, she handled cinema. “I did cinema-related programmes that helped me build contacts,” says Nisa, who discovered her acting skills when she participated in the reality show – Vanita Ratnam broadcast on Amrita television. After her first movie with V.K. Prakash, Nisa acted in the short film Canvas alongside Vijay Babu. “Then, I interviewed Anoop Menon for the second time. It was a direct interview and I expressed my desire to act. He kept this in mind and offered me a role in Ente Mezhuthri…,” Nisa recalls.

“He told me there is a good character and I said yes. I was sure it would be an interesting one because it was his script and he usually writes characters with depth. A week before the shoot commenced, he briefed me about Thulasi. It was not so difficult for me to do it,” says Nisa and adds that the movie offers a different view of Ooty.  “It’s picturesquely taken, and the credit goes to director Sooraj Thomas and cinematographer Jithu Damodar,” says Nisa, who works as a high school teacher in Malappuram. She will be next seen in Vipin Atlee’s movie. “The character in that movie is entirely different from Thulasi,” says Nisa, who wishes to take all her passions forward. “Each world is an experience. It is all about finding the time for our passions,” she signs off.