After playing the hero’s arm candy in films like 'Kaalai', 'Sakkarakatti' and 'Muni', actress Vedhicka seemed like just another glam doll, prettying up a film. However, she was cast in Bala’s 'Paradesi' — a film that portrayed her in stark contrast to her earlier avatar. Once the greasepaint was off, Vedhicka pulled off a stellar performance in a completely deglamourised role, silencing her critics and making her an actress to watch out for. Her debut Malayalam flick, the recently released 'Sringaravelan' set the cash registers ringing and now, she is back with another power-packed performance in the upcoming film 'Kaaviya Thalaivan', directed by Vasanthabalan. In a tete-a-tete with DC, Vedhicka opens up about what drew her to cinema right from childhood, working with some of the best in the industry and why she is an actress to be reckoned with
A step ahead
An excited Vedhicka cannot stop raving about her role in 'Kaaviya Thalaivan', as she firmly believes that the film is a step ahead in her career after Paradesi. “This film provides me yet another chance to prove myself to the audience, who are my biggest and best critics,” she says. Working on a period flick, Vedhicka reveals, was challenging. “As it’s a period flick, shot in very high standards, the director’s expectations were very high. But I can confidently say that the movie has come out really well, and I have done justice to my role.” However Vedhicka says, “I don’t want to divulge many details about my character — it will be a surprise for the audience.” An additional challenge, Vedhicka reveals, was to act in a film, where everyone were veteran actors. “Standing out and finding a niche among them was surely not easy,” she says.
All about 'Kaaviya Thalaivan'
When asked about her astounding journey in this period flick, and her experience working with award-winning director Vasantha Balan, ('Veyil' and 'Angadi Theru'), she says, it has been nothing but fantastic. “If my first guru is Bala sir, then I would say that Vasantha Balan sir, is another person who taught me about acting. He is a perfectionist who extracts every little detail that he requires from an artist,” she says.
'Kaaviya Thalaivan' also has Prithiviraj Sukumar and Siddharth essaying important characters in the film, which also stars veteran actor Nasser in an important role. The music of the film is penned by Oscar-winner A.R.Rahman, making it one of the most eagerly anticipated period flicks. Notably, the editor of the film is K.L. Praveen, who has garnered national award for best editing for the film 'Aaranya Kaandam' in the year 2011. Nirav Shah is the cinematographer.
'Paradesi' — a life changing film
Like every other actress, Vedhicka too wants to experiment with various roles and she strongly believes that she is on the path to choosing good films. “'Paradesi' was the one film that was life changing. It gave me the platform to showcase my acting skills, and helped me carve my own niche in this competitive industry. People still recognize me as ‘the Paradesi girl’ and it is a big compliment. Bala sir, gave me a complete make-over in the film, and has potrayed me in a dusky-skin tone, which in-fact worked well with the audience,” she says, adding, “All those rumours that I stood in the hot sun to become dark is utter rubbish. I never did anything of that sort. Neither did Bala sir force me to do something so drastic. Contrary to what people say, he is not someone who tortures his artist in anyway. He is a very sweet person to work with, and only people who have worked with him closely or share a personal rapport with him can understand his ideology. All you need is to trust him and, he takes care of the rest.”
Director Bala, she believes, has been singularly responsible for giving her some of the most-cherished memories — some enough to last a lifetime. “After the release of the film, Bala sir presented me a beautiful painting of an extract from the film 'Paradesi', which is one of my most cherished possessions. I was moved to tears when I received it,” she says. Interestingly, 'Paradesi' also garnered her words of appreciation from ace-director Shankar who was impressed with her performance in the film and described her acting as “natural and subtle.”
A childhood dream
Vedhicka reveals that as a child, she was a happy-go-lucky-girl, whose dream was to sizzle on the big screen. Right from her school days, she was interested in drama and dance, and made sure that she won most competitions related to her field of interest. “I still remember that when I was in Higher Secondary, I told to my friends that I wanted to be an actor and everyone laughed at me. After college, I started to take up acting on a serious note, and I pursued my passion,” says the talented actress, who was discovered by actor Arjun, who roped her to play the heroine in his flick Madarasi in 2006. “Arjun Sir was my first director and it was a complete honour to work with him. I respect his dedication and passion towards cinema,” she adds.
Vedhicka recalls the days when she spent hours in front of the mirror, imitating the facial expressions and dance moves of actresses like Sridevi and Madhuri Dixit — who she grew up watching. “Yes, I still reminisce about those days, as my passion was to be an actor always. I believe that, this 70 mm journey is not an easy ride, as we need to bring in all our skills in one frame every time. We need to be mentally and physically prepared, to cry, to laugh and to jump on-screen,” she says.
Not opposed to glam roles
Vedhicka is now opting for roles, which are de-glamourous in nature, and characters that give her the opportunity to emote and act. “But that does not mean that I would not do a role that is glamourous. I would love to take up any role — glam or deglam,” says this actor, who points out that the perception of glamour is often misconstrued. “There is wrong perception about the term ‘glamour’. I believe that glamour lies not only in the clothes we wear. We can be glamorous with our expressions and even the way we emote,” she adds candidly.
Vedhicka reveals that her ultimate dream is to be a part of good films in the industry. The actress says that for her, there are only two kinds of films.
“I don’t believe in categorising a film as an art film or commercial film. According to me, movies belong in two categories — ones with good storylines and others with bad ones. It all depends on each one’s perception. So, I want to do experimental roles in all kinds of genres,” she concludes.
