The voice at the other end is still effervescent but what has changed is the greeting in Malayalam enne marrano?, instead of Neha Saxena's favourite haan ji? Thanks to three Mollywood films Neha has acted in, her grasp over the language has improved in leaps and bounds. Starting off with the Mammootty-starrer Kasaba, where she played the glamorous Susan, she was next seen as the seductive Julie in Munthirivallikal Thalirkkumbol trying to ensnare Mohanlal.
For an outsider who has acted in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Tulu, these two appearances were a dream come true in that she got to act opposite the two big M’s. Right now she is keeping her fingers crossed because she has taken a huge leap of faith by accepting a challenging role as the female lead in the film Sakhavinte Priyasakhi where she plays a Communist leader's wife, releasing today.
This role is poles apart from the glamourous ones she has played in her earlier Mollywood outings. For one, she dresses in cotton sarees and the second is that she has gone completely makeup-free. It was a year ago that the director of the film Sidheeque Thamarasseri approached her with the role of Rohini, “I was surprised that he had considered me for this role and asked him if he was sure? Here was a female-oriented film in which I get to play the lead role in a language I did not know.”
The language was what worried Neha, “The script was so beautiful that it brought tears to my eyes. But when it comes to dialogues, I am not a person who responds to dialogue prompts; they confuse me! I normally make sure to get my dialogues a day earlier, rehearse and memorise them so that I do not waste any time on the sets.” A year later, Malayalam is now a language that she understands perfectly, “Of course the learning process is still on.” Through this role, Neha also had something to prove to any naysayers who would have typecast her as a glamour puss. “Here was my chance to challenge the actor in me and to prove that I could act in a variety of roles. I do not look for money or glamorous looks and Sakhavinte…. was perfect for me to shift track.”
Talking of her character Rohini— a communist leaders’ wife, has Neha gushing, “Though I was initially skeptical of the role, the director’s narration convinced me. I get to play three different age groups — a college-goer, a 26-year-old married woman and a 45-year-old widow.” While many actors would have chosen the help of makeup to look older, Neha did not want that. “I gained 18 kilos to look mature and to play the part of a woman looking after a young nephew. I also went makeup free, which was a first for me!”
For Neha, this was an entirely new experience, “To appear in front of the camera without makeup needs immense levels of confidence. When I saw my look for the first time on the monitor, I fell in love with it. So much so that I try to go makeup-free as far as possible in real life too. Rohini has gifted me that confidence.” Neha has news to share before she ends, “The CM will be seeing the first show of the film today and that is again a blessing.”
