In her student days, she was a throwball champion, an NCC cadet but she never thought of trying her luck at telly or the silver screen, especially since she felt she was ordinary looking. However, she embraced theatre almost 17 years ago, and eventually made it onto the small screen playing distinctive roles in Kannada, Telugu and Tamil serials, including a project meant for the Sri Lankan audience where she portrayed the role of a Sri Lankan refugee residing in Chennai. Nikhila Suman, an artiste, traveller and adventurer believes in essaying distinctive roles, be it in theatre, TV or movies. After an impressive debut in the Kannada film Srinivasa Kalyana, Nikhila now takes up a grand mythological epic tale — Shani, on Colors Kannada. She speaks with Bengaluru Chronicle, sharing her latest dual avatar, her journey right from theatre, and more.
“As an artiste, I do not believe in restricting myself to a particular genre, mode of entertainment or language. I got into theatre in the year 2000, and since then, I have been on a wonderful journey. My childhood was not that memorable, and acting helped me come out of my shell, and gain immense confidence and independence. In fact, I had never thought of trying the small or silver screen. I was very ordinary, even bad looking, one with more of a tomboyish personality and a major interest in sports. I was a throwball champion during my student days and also served in the NCC. I learnt and assisted doing theatre. Yet, how I got onto the small screen is a bit weird to explain,” says Nikhila Suman, adding, “Something ‘weird’ happened when I had to return from a theatre show in Kasargod. I came home raging with chickenpox. I did not go out of my house for three months and when I was cured, I suddenly became a beautiful girl! I guess all that ‘tan’ had vanished. This is when I got a lot of offers in TV.”
Nikhila, who recently made her debut in the Kannada film Srinivasa Kalyana
Nikhila, who recently made her debut in the Kannada film Srinivasa Kalyana, reveals that though the film took more than two years to complete, the acclaim she got for her performance paved the way for more opportunities, but when nothing seemed exciting enough, she took a break travelling and exploring new adventures.
“After my debut film, I have read at least 13 scripts including director Vijayaprasad’s experimental venture wherein I was supposed to gain upto 120 kgs. I had even accepted the challenge to gain weight but nothing moved forward. I had been working for a long time, and hence took a break and travelled. I then got a call to play the role of Sanyadevi, wife of Surya Deva, in the mythological epic tale Shani. I was skeptical but gave it a try and now, I feel the decision was bang on. I had never played a mythological role on TV or in movies. Playing the dual role of Sanyadevi and Chaya, with such rich costumes and grandeur, has been a great learning experience for me,” she explains.
Known for her distinct roles irrespective of language, mode of entertainment and genre, she feels thrilled about the unique portrayals she has been doing. “I do not want to play just the character. I emphasise on being a part of the story. I feel the need to understand what happens to the other characters. My correspondence degree in psychology also helps me understand and portray roles better. I even like learning about aspects of production, and try and assist whenever I am not acting on the sets.”
