From a tomboyish girl to an utterly feminine character, Alina Padikkal had taken the role of Nayana as a challenge. She is living the role in Bharya, the soap opera aired on Asianet television. Challenges have excited her since childhood. Such is the journey from being a television anchor to playing the female lead with negative shades. She started facing the camera at the age of eight by appearing in channels like Asianet, Surya and Kiran TV. Anchoring is her first love; her bubbly presence makes her stand out. Acting was never there in her bucket list. Once she got the call from the serial makers, her first reaction was a big ‘NO’. “It is my friends in Asianet who prompted me to take up the role as a challenge,” says Alina.
“Acting was the last field I wanted to be. I am a very simple girl who loves to walk carefree. Acting somewhere restricts you to do so,” explains Alina, who hates the extra attention and care given to actors. Asked about her future plans, she leaves everything to fate. She thinks of her presence in the serial as a play of fate. “At first, it was very difficult. You need to portray different shades and for me, it was really hard to pull off the saree and jewellery as I was not used to it. But the serial set is very comfortable. My co-artiste and director are crazy about bikes and cars; so most of the time, we discuss our common love,” says Alina, who is extremely happy to work with a bunch of people where she can be herself.
Praises have been coming her way for depicting the mischievous role wonderfully. At the same time, she receives a few curses too. “It happens when you play a negative role. It is an appreciation as my role has hit their minds perfectly," says Alina. She received a few calls from the movie industry but right now, she wants to focus on her studies. Her priority is to pursue MBA and get into the automobile industry. She got her passion for bikes from her parents. Initiated to riding at an age of 12, she owns a Bajaj Pulsar 200NS and her favourites include duke and Ninja. “Ninja is like my dream bike,” says Alina with sparkling eyes. She prefers bikes as it is more comfortable to travel around and is against any show-off stunts and racing.
