Nivetha Thomas is a name that doesn’t need any introduction. The actress, who appears in Telugu, Malayalam and Tamil cinema has carved a name for herself in the respective south movie industries. In an exclusive interview with Team MissMalini, Nivetha opens about her role Shakini Dakini, working with Mohanlal, Kamal Haasan and Pawan Kalyan and lots more.
But before that, check out the teaser of her upcoming film Shakini Dakini here:
Excerpts from the interview:
On her journey in films from starring as a child artist to the main lead…
It has been long and enriching for somebody, who has spent more than half of her life in front of the camera. I have got the opportunity to work with a few really inspirational people, who not only I have looked up to as actors but they have ended up becoming more of a family today. The biggest takeaway would be that I got to learn in terms of how you carry yourself as an actor. When you are given a term of a star, how are you supposed to carry yourself? The kind of directors I have worked with, the different language films that I debuted with, they have all been experimental and exactly the way I like it. I am quite blessed to experience all that I have. People are going to be seeing a lot more of me in the future.
On pursuing acting after studying architecture…
Acting has always been my calling and I wanted to become an astronaut. When I was in seventh grade, I remember I sorted everything right up to my masters. I was quite fascinated with those subjects but I realized that acting has always been a passion and wanted to do some course that was not strenuous, theoretically. Architecture was my second choice and soon I realized it was not an easy choice at all. I was able to equate a lot of my working methods in the film industry to how I was thinking creatively and to evaluate progress. But in architecture there was a deadline to put your thoughts on paper. It was a good parallel to think about what I learnt here and there and vice versa.
About her role in Shakini Dakini…
I play Shalini in the film. I am Damini’s buddy. We end up becoming best friends but we don’t begin that way at all. We start with the wrong foot. We almost hate each other, pull pranks on each other and initially we just can’t stand each other. Shalini is somebody I feel that every friend should have because of just how genuine as a person she is. Luckily this has been one of those characters that I spend a lot of my time with because every wave of the pandemic we had to pause the shoot in the middle. Every time I was going on the set I was looking forward to portraying her. It is because the Telangana dialect that I have learned for the film was all extremely wonderful as I like learning new languages. For the first time I think my body language changed because of the kind of accent she was using. She is a very mass entertaining female.
On identifying with her character in the film…
I look up to Sahlini in so many ways. On the other hand, Damini is a calculative human being, she thinks very radically. She has a Methodist approach to everything. She has to think at least five-six steps ahead before she makes a decision. But with Shalini, it was quite intuitive. If she feels right in her heart, she has to do that. It comes in the film where it drives the story forward. It clearly shows what kind of people these two are. A balance of both are needed in life. I feel like this is the quality that has to do with a tremendous amount of bravery and courage. She is a foodie in the film, her life revolves around the food as it makes her happy. Shalini is a happy, chill, entertaining person, who loves her food, space and a great company. She is an absolute pataka to have as a friend in the group. Wherever she is, the place becomes lively. If you get on her wrong foot, she can make your life a nightmare as well.
On working in Pawan Kalyan in Vakeel Saab…
It was an amazing experience to work with Pawan Kalyan sir. Vakeel Saab was always a film that we had to treat with extreme care and caution because of its sensitive subject. After seeing the result of the film, I think Venu Sriram sir, the director of the film deserves a lot of credit for creating that balance. It is quite heartening to see the kind of cult following Pawan Kalyan sir has and when you see the man he is quite simple. He is an observer, he listens and observes a lot. The beauty about this film is that we got to spend a lot of time in the courtroom. I admire his gift of speech, the way he speaks especially when it is towards a crowd. There is a strength in his speech and we can feel that. He was playing a lawyer, I felt that he just fit the part. Whenever he said the lines, every time it felt as powerful as the first. That is a great gift for especially those who have chosen a path where you have to communicate with people. I wish him well in whichever field he is choosing to pursue.I played Pallavi in Vakeel Saab and it was a brilliant experience.
On working in Jilla with legend actors Vijay and Mohanlal…
It was wonderful to work with both, with Mohanlal sir, it was my second film. I had done a film called Pranayam with him before. That was a time in my life where I was trying to experiment with different roles. I was playing lead roles, while I was also playing a child artist at the same time. I was also playing important characters in films which drove the film forward. That was a phase when I got to learn about how we make choices. Mohanlal is the most humble human being; he is the biggest gift that the Indian film industry can offer to global cinema. He appreciates art so much, he paints, and observes quite a lot of art work. He is knowledgeable on that front as well. I remember having a conversation with him about wanting to take up architecture. I was in 9th or 10th grade when I was doing those films, I was playing Jaya Prada mam’s younger role, I was paired opposite Anupam Kher. It was one of the most beautiful films of that time. I am again looking forward to working with Lalettan any time.
On working with Kamal Haasan in Papanasam…
I just want to have the honor of spending more and more time with Kamal sir as much as possible. It’s quite a big thing to ask right now. I wish to work with him in many films. If not as an actor, I would not mind in any other capacity, be it production or direction. He is somebody whom you can observe so many things from. The way he carries the film forward, the way he gives importance to every single shot, every single character, regardless of how big or small. His involvement in getting a scene right, his strive for perfection is probably one of the most enduring, the most beautiful things to witness. I see him as a mentor I would want to carry forward at least partly the kind of things that he has given back for Indian and world cinema. I feel satisfied at the end of the day thinking that I did learn from the experience of working with the great Kamal Haasan sir.
With so many different roles and talented filmmakers, Nivetha is surely on a path to success. Her film Shakini Dakini will hit the cinemas on September 16, 2022.