Asha Sharath couldn’t curtail her excitement as she spoke about how she was roped in by Jeethu Joseph, for the Mohanlal-starrer Drishyam, as well as Papanasam. “I couldn’t have asked for more. Actually, when Jeethu offered the role to me first, I was not at all confident about essaying it because I couldn't imagine myself in the shoes of a cop. There wasn’t much preparation involved, though. But I was so nervous wondering if I would be able to do the role perfectly, Coming from a Bharatanatyam background, I have always perceived myself in heavy jhumkas, koel, kajal, etc,” laughs Asha.
Working with Kamal, was a dream come true, says Asha. “He was very down to earth and I asked myself ‘Is this actually Kamal Haasan?’” “I felt Papanasam was quite fresh because of Kamal sir’s approach towards the film,” Asha tells DC.
Asha, who got to dub for herself in Papanasam, says that’s actually an achievement for a person, who doesn’t know to speak Tamil that fluently. “Seeing me speak Tamil, Kamal sir asked me if I could dub for myself. I think, that’s a great compliment,” she says.
So, ask her how much her life has changed post Drishyam and Papanasam? “It is all sheer luck. Not every actress, who starts in telly makes it to the big screen. But I made it. I never thought these two films would change my whole career. Thanks to Jeethu Joseph for making my family, especially my daughters, compliment me on how well I’ve pulled off the role,” she smiles.
And what’s next? “I have been getting offers, but I would love to do films, that give me more scope to perform. I play Kamal sir’s wife in Thoongavanam. Though I won’t be there throughout the film, it’s significant because I got to share screen space with the legend again,” says the excited actress.
Ask her what comes first to her — Kollywood or Mollywood — she thinks for a while, and says, the journey from small screen to Mollywood, was a learning period. Shuttling between Dubai, Kerala and Chennai, these days, Asha assures, she’s game for any challenging role.
“I will do only those roles that really excite and challenge me. I am not doing any serial for the time being. I have bigger responsibilities back in Dubai — my family and my dance school with over 3,500 students and 75 staff. I want to give my 100 per cent to them. I became an actress by chance,” she signs off.
