Fresh from the success of Rajini Murugan (RM) and Nenu Sailaja in Telugu, Keerthy Suresh is overjoyed. Despite the former having faced many hurdles concerning its release, the project has raked in the big bucks, beating both Tharai Thappattai and Kathakali, which released simultaneously on Pongal. When asked how she feels about this, “When I listened to the script of the film, I knew it’s going to be good. I was very positive about RM and even though the dates got postponed, I knew it’ll be a hit,” says the chirpy actress.
Even though she wasn’t always an optimist, films have made her so! “I always believe in the projects I do. Even though my earlier film Idhu Yenna Mayam didn’t do well, I got a lot of good feedback,” she says, adding, “That helped me when it came to RM — we (the cast and crew) used to console each other and reassure our kith and kin that the movie would be a success.” The fact that the audience too were in anticipation of the film, made it a box office success.
Speaking about how contrasting her characters have been, Keerthy says, “I played the role of a visually-impaired girl in my Malayalam film Ring Master. I did some basic research, and that just helped my acting get better. The modern girl I played in Idhu… came quite naturally to me. However, initially I found it a little difficult to play a bubbly village lass in RM.”
After a few days of observing co-star Sivakarthikeyan and comedian Suri’s body language and dialogue delivery, she soon picked up the style. “I also watched a few of Siva’s earlier family entertainers, and got the hang of things soon,” she says. Elated about the fact that she’s become the kanavu kanni (dream girl) for youth all across Tamil Nadu, Kerala and the Telugu states, Keerthy says she’s gotten the maximum compliments for her smile! “People are observing so many small things I did in Rajini Murugan, like a sly wink, and are raving about that. So much so that, they forget the fact that I was the one who acted — they only remember my character. In fact, after the success of Nenu Sailaja, the team and I had gone to a couple of colleges in Rajamundry. As soon as I went on stage, the 35,000-plus students gathered there, started chanting ‘Sailaja, sailaja, sailaja’… it was an amazing feeling,” exclaims Keerthy.
Another thing to be thrilled about — working with Prabhu Solomon and Dhanush in Rail. “Prabhu sir called me to his office and narrated the script to me. After he gave his okay, I walked out with a big smile. It felt like I had gone a step higher in my career,” says Keerthy, adding that all this seems like a dream come true for her. “Just watching Dhanush act on the sets mesmerises me. I don’t even understand how he performs all the scenes with so much ease!”
She credits her mother for helping her learn Tamil — “I studied in Kerala, so learnt to read and write Malayalam. My mother used to insist on my sister and I learning Tamil. I never understood the importance then, but now I thank her for it! I’m fluent in Tamil and this comes as a big surprise to fans,” she signs off.
