Though I can speak Tamil, I haven’t given voiceover for my character: Namitha Pramod
12/12/2017
Namitha Pramod, known for her meaty roles in Malayalam, is excited about making her Tamil debut under Priyadarshan's directorial, Nimir. In a chat with CT, the actress tells us how she landed the role and why she doesn't want to make any comparisons with its original, the much-acclaimed Maheshinte Prathikaaram.
Ask her whether she watched Maheshinte Prathikaaram before she started shooting for Nimir, Namitha says, "I had watched the film when it was released. But I never thought that the movie will be adapted to Tamil and I will play the character of Jimsy. In fact, I got a call from Priyan sir saying that he wanted me to cast in the film. Till the time of shooting, I was not aware that I was playing the lead role." Interestingly, her role was essayed in the Malayalam version by Aparna Balamurali who forayed in Kollywood with 8 Thottakkal.
It's heard that the director has made changes in the script to suit the sensibilities of Tamil audience. So, what changes have the storyline and her character underwent? "It's true that some changes are made to suit the Tamil audience. But I would say Nimir cannot be compared to the original. While the story's core, its essence, has been retained, the pace in Tamil is fast. The dialogues are crisper and as a whole, the movie has come out as a very colourful one. I would say Nimir is an out-and-out Priyan sir film. I play Malar in the movie, but I have consciously made sure that I have not imitated the mannerisms or characteristics of Jimsy (played by Aparna), from the original. I kept myself fully detached from the original so that I could bring in my inputs to the character I essay."
This being the first Tamil movie, was it challenging for her to shoot the scenes? "Not at all," she says, adding, "I can understand and speak Tamil, hence shooting for the scenes were not tough. However, I didn't dub for my character since my lines in the movie required me to talk fast and had difficult words."
Namitha says that her costumes in the movie did not give her much scope for experimentation as she is shown as a girl from Tenkasi, who is mostly seen in churidars. She adds, "There are two things I have changed for the movie with regard to my looks - I had to wear bindi throughout and had to use hair extensions. I am known for my long and wavy tresses. But I hate long hair and had opted for a short haircut. However, I had to use hair extensions to fit into the shoes of my character."
Namitha is well-known for her dancing skills which she has exhibited in quite a number of Malayalam films. Quiz her whether the movie gave her any scope to showcase her adept moves, she says, "The movie has a flash mob scene, which I loved performing.
It has a mix of Tamil, Hindi and English songs, and I'm sure it will be one of the highlights of the film."
On acting with Udhayanidhi Stalin, the pretty actress says, "He is so down-to-earth and come across as a person who doesn't have any airs. I found him to be a gentleman who is very hard working, too. Throughout the shooting of the movie, he made sure that he could bring out even the minutest of the mannerisms and expressions to perfect his part."
Having done two Telugu movies, Namitha says that she is yet to sign new projects in Tollywood. "I'm currently busy with two Malayalam films, Kammara Sambhavam and Dinkan, both having Dileep in lead role. Kammara Sambhavam has Siddharth making his Mollywood debut. "I have been shooting for the film for quite some time. We shot for the movie in Chennai and Tenkasi — I will wrap up the shoot in 20 days. Though I am not at liberty to share any details about the film, I can say that I am paired opposite both Dileep and Siddharth. While I have acted with Dileep in around five movies, it was for the first time that I shared screen space with Siddharth," she says excitedly.
She adds with a smile, "He is a cool person and a very dedicated actor. He summarises each and every line of his scenes and presents it in his own way while shooting." Though Kammara Sambhavam's shoot was started much before Dileep was arrested allegedly for his connection in the actress harassment case, Namitha says that she shot with him even after his release from the jail. "Dileep is well known to us and has always been like a family friend."
Did the arrest and jail term of the actor affect him in any ways? "Not at all, he was totally fine throughout the shooting," she says and signs off.
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