The little miss who's winning hearts

Janaki’s eyes shone in delight as she dug her spoon into the light and fluffy strawberry mousse, which she had pointed out to her dad when he asked what she wanted. For a seven-year-old, she seemed quiet, but Sasikumar says she is quite chirpy and a bit naughty. She had doodled all over his body trying to make him the Ghajini hero! Hearing his comments, Janaki flashes her wide grin, which wooed the makers of Pokkiri Simon, who chose her as Jennifer, the little Vijay fan in the movie. “At that time, her front teeth were missing,” reveals Sasi, who gets a shy glance from his cute daughter.

Jennifer stole many hearts when the movie hit the screens; her chemistry with Appani Sarath, who played her father Ganesh, was much hailed. “That’s because Sarath is our family friend. It was he who suggested Janaki when the team was looking for a child actress. Janaki is very fond of Sarath and the two used to play pranks on each other whenever he visited home. The chemistry too worked well when they acted together,” feels Sasi, a graphic designer, who is glad that his daughter could land in the world of movies, a long-forgotten dream of his.

Janaki acted her part gracefully and even dubbed for her character. “We had booked the studio for three days, but she surprised us by completing the whole dubbing in just three hours,” says her dad, who proudly recalls getting goosebumps in the theatre that was abuzz with hoots and cheers by Vijay fans during the screening of Pokkiri Simon.  An emotional scene between Sarath and Janaki came up and suddenly, the crowd went silent. “It was pin-drop silence when Janaki spoke the dialogue, which ended in tears. We felt a lump in our throats; seated beside, our parents too were crying. She played it exceptionally well,” says Sasi, who never expected her to star in a movie. But his wife Sreeja Das cuts in and says that she had sensed Janaki's talent at two.

“Even at that age, she acted out whatever she was told, before the camera. Our home is full of her photos and many had asked us if she could act in ad films. We had no such plan for her. What she needs is her decision. She is happy with scribbling, drawing, role-playing games, singing and dancing to fast numbers,” says Sreeja, who has done minor roles in a few movies. The video for audition was sent at Sarath's behest; they weren't hoping much for a positive result. But Janaki was, they realised. The response came on the night before the shooting began and the family packed their bags and took a bus from Angamaly to Thiruvananthapuram. The shooting happened over three months covering her summer vacation and the school re-opening month. But her teachers at Viswajyothi Public School – where she is in class II – were very happy to assist in their little student's dream taking wings. For her classmates – too little to understand fame – Janaki is their best friend, not Jennifer. She, like her character, loves Vijay, but ask who her favourite actor is, the blushing smile pops up again and Janaki says, “Nivin Pauly.”