Doctor, actor more: Dr Divya Nair

When patients enter Dr Divya Nair’s clinic in Thiruvananthapuram, they are taken aback for a moment and wonder if they should call her Divya or her more popular telly tube avatar Dr Lakshmi. Divya plays the popular character of Dr Lakshmi in the serial Pranayam and is also a popular VJ and show host. Last but not the least, she is also a classical dancer and a singer. In fact, it was her singing prowess that caught the eye of actor Chippy.

She got cast in the serial Nokketha Doorathu as Chippy’s sister nearly 10 years back. Soon after, the schoolgirl acted in two films —Mahasamudram starring Rehman and the Mohanlal-starrer Rasathantram. She went on to become a doctor, got married and also became a mother. Divya continues, “I was continuing my anchoring and I soon got a call for a serial Padasaram based on the life of IT professionals.” Her character Krishnaveni was an instant hit among telly tube viewers.

Her current character, Dr Lakshmi, seems to be striking the right cord going by the adulation and popularity she is garnering. She replaced long standing actor Varadha as Lakshmi and admits to some initial nervousness. Divya says, “I was a bit worried about audience acceptance because Varadha has been playing this character for a long time. Also I was relatively unfamiliar with the cast and crew. I can sum it up as a feeling that a bride gets when she walks into her new home!”All her fears were unfounded because she felt totally at home with the cast.  

The very beautiful Divya has been getting a lot of film offers but is quite finicky about her role. She simply says, “I do not want to add to my filmography but would rather wait for a good role to come my way. I also do not believe that films are the ultimate destination of an actor.”   Divya is very happy with her work in serials but does not play down the importance of a film role. She candidly says, “A serial actor is popular as long as it is telecast but a role in a film is preserved for posterity.”

Asked about balancing the various facets of her life, Divya throws a curve saying, “I am still studying for Master of Hospital Administration and also doing courses in yoga, meditation, personality development and family and marriage counselling. I study all these because I have an interest in all these spheres. I also have a vegetable garden at home that I tend to.” She adds, “Right now, I want to study tailoring.” Mentioning that her serial work involves 15 days every month, she states that everyone can find time for what they like, with a pillar of support like Anushankar, her husband.