8 TEENTIME

2012 MAY 9 VOLUME 1, ISSUE 47 GULF MADHYAMAM l No1 IN THE GULF

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here are stars that dazzle for a while and then fade away; there are others that appear to us as a blip of light initially before growing and growing in their lustre. The career of endearing actor Samvritha Sunil has taken the latter course; she debuted in Rasikan (2004) opposite Dileep as another Lal Jose find and did a few unremarkable roles before shining brighter and brighter. Warm, straightforward, unambiguousthat is Samvritha Sunil for you. She was shooting for Diamond Necklace when she spoke to First Take. When I asked her how she got into films, she said that the readers would be bored of reading her entry into films as she had narrated the story umpteen times. But when I insisted that we all would love to hear it from the horses mouth, Samvritha budged. I was doing my first year degree in St Teresas when Renjith Uncle (director Renjith) who is a good friend of my father referred my name to Laluettan (Lal Jose) who was looking out for a female lead in his upcoming film with Dileep. Laluettan and his associates came to the hostel to see me. The photo shoots, auditions... everything happened in a blur and in the blink of an eyelid I was on the sets of Rasikan, said Samvritha. Rasikan did not do well at the BO which is not a good a good start as far as a beginner is concerned. A few small roles in films like Chandrolsavam and Nerariyan CBI followed. It is difficult for a beginner to pick and choose, she said. On how she commits to a project, Samvritha says that she generally makes sure about her role in the film and is also keen on knowing the storyline. (She says the most difficult thing is to say No to the filmmaker when she is not happy about a story). In Mollywood, the script is generally not passed on to the artists though the practice is slowly changing. For instance, I had a chance to read Neelathamaras script Jyothi Varma before working in the film, says the actor. Samvritha is perhaps one of the few female artists in the contemporary circuit who dub in their own voice. She is also one of the few Mollywood heroines who have not migrated to other pastures even though she has appeared in one Tamil movie (Uyir), a Hindi film, (The WhiteElephant) and a Telugu film. Naturally, I was curious to know why she didnt act in more films in Tamil

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and Hindi. The response was matter-of-fact. Samvritha says no films excited her. Besides, she was getting good offers from Malayalam. So the choice was easyto stick on in Malayalam.I was very raw to the medium of cinema when I acted in Rasikan. Since I was ignorant, nothing scared me then. One can say that I did not even realise the significance of my profession, says Samvritha. The heroine in mass entertainers got her first taste of disturbing cinema in AchanurangaathaVeedu that dealt with the trauma of a sexual abuse victim. If I became kind of serious in my approach after AchanurangaathaVeedu, by the time Arabikkadha happened I believe I had evolved much more as an actor, she says. The actor feels that the role in Neelathamara, Lal Joses re-telling of the 1979 classic by M T Vasudevan Nair, also proved to be a great learning curve.Shivers still overcome me when I shoot for Laluettans films even though I have known him for the past eight years. It is as if all my experience in cinema disappears when I am on the sets of his film, says Samvritha. Samvritha who is a part of both commercial and parallel movies feels that they have different paces. In commercial movies everything is fast. The reactions are quicker and sharper whereas the pace is more relaxed and the emoting much more subtle in parallel cinema, says Samvritha. The actor says she interacts with her fans on networking sites. Initially, she used to get fan mail that she found quite thrilling. Samvritha now has a fan page where she updates all her professional developments. A classical dancer, Samvritha is busy with dance shows while not on shooting locations. To her family, she is plain Ammu.This industry demands a lot of patience. The Samvritha you are speaking to now is a version of me that was shaped over eight years of hard work. Shortcuts will not take you anywhere. There is no substitute for hard work, says this charming actor. n

with her verve

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