A memorable debut

It pays to have good profile photo on your social media page if you are a newcomer with stardust in your eyes. If you don’t believe that, ask Vandana whose photo, done as a part of a model portfolio shoot, caught the eye of a casting coordinator in Chennai. The coordinator in turn showed her photos to a director who in turn called up Vandana’s mother asking her to appear for a screen test.

Vandana goes on to narrate the rest , “I had a screen test and an audition done and got the confirmation then and there that I would be a part of the film.” Before you wonder which film it is, the answer is the recently released Tamil film Magalir Mattum starring Jyothika, Bhanupriya and Urvashi. Vandana plays Urvashi’s younger self in this film.

The film, directed by Bramma, is a women-centric film that looks at the lives of three school friends Bhanupriya, Urvashi and Sharanya who somehow lose touch with each other and then reunite after 36 years, thanks to the efforts of a documentary filmmaker, played by Jyothika.

IIf you expect the cliché statement that any newcomer would give about being nervous and scared when she joined the sets, Vandana begs to differ. She says, “I was not nervous because I was given rehearsals along with the two other Chennai girls playing Bhanupriya and Sharanya’s younger selves. We were all given tasks to perform and that broke the ice to a large degree and ensured that we were gelling.”

There was another reason why Vandana enjoyed her experience — the director’s attitude. “I had the freedom to perform the scene as I interpreted it and later Bramma sir would give suggestions on improving the scene. I could learn a lot about acting from my debut experience and also gained oodles of confidence,” she admits.

While the chance to act with such a stellar cast and a renowned director was a huge stroke of good luck, personally, Vandana has another experience to narrate that has her grinning from ear to ear. “I met Suriya and I am a huge fan of his.” she gushes, adding, “It was sudden. One minute he was there without anyone expecting him on the sets and he talked to me and I was on cloud nine!” She also got a chance to interact with Jyothika and she terms them as very down to earth, easy going and humble individuals.

Vandana finished her studies in BA Communicative English from St Teresa's College and has enrolled for her MA Sociology course. With a deep interest in acting, this pretty girl has already modeled for some well-known brands. Though she has been approached for roles in Malayalam, Vandana is taking it slow and wants her character to make sense before she signs on the dotted line.