The innumerable variations in the way she spells her name are befuddling! Remya Nambeesan? “Nope, Ramya Nambessan.”
“Are you sure? bessan? Numerology?” I text her later. “Yeah, my own theory, LOL,” is the reply.
Her Pizza with Vijay Sethupathi as hero, releases this week.
When Ramya put up an impressive show in her Tamil debut, Raman Thaediya Seethai that had Cheran in the lead, I expected her talent to take her places. “I’m glad to have entered Tamil with Raman …” she begins on a justification mode, and I interrupt, “You should be. It was a poignant role and you did ample justice to it.” The actor from Kochi is in Chennai to shoot for Rendavadhu Padam .
Though Ramya followed up Raman … with Aattanayakan opposite Shakthi, it was Kullanari Koottam with Vishnu that did the trick. “ KK did well at the BO and I was flooded with offers. But I’m choosy. I look for an interesting story and the scope of my role. Pizza was an ideal choice and I grabbed it. I also go by my instinct. And Karthik’s screenplay impressed me.” She lists her reasons for plumping for Pizza , and showers compliments on her director and hero. “Both are very dedicated and industrious.” Vijay made his presence felt in Thenmaerkku Paruvakaatru and the recent Sundarapandian . Touted as a romantic thriller, Pizza has Karthik Subburaj, who made an impression with his short for the popular ‘Nalaiya Iyakkunar’ series on Kalaignar TV, as its director. “I don’t know whether Pizza can be slotted in any particular genre. It has comedy, romance, thrill and action, just like the slices of a pizza.” That’s why it’s called so? “Frankly, this is purely my take on the title,” she chuckles.
Four films in as many years isn’t exactly a whirlwind start for a heroine. “That’s fine. I’m not too ambitious. But that doesn’t mean I’m impractical to let go of good opportunities. My roles have to have substance, that’s all,” says the actor from God’s Own Country, who has completed 20 films in Malayalam and four in Telugu.
Pizza has kindled curiosity. It is probably one of those rare instances in recent times where a film doesn’t conform to the stricture of sticking to Tamil titles. Santhosh Narayanan drew attention with the differently composed ‘Aadi Pona Aavani’ in Attakkaththi , and again, he has tried out novelty in the Pizza numbers, she suggests. “Actually, the entire Pizza team, including cameraperson Gopi, is competent,”
After Raman … Ramya went a little glam in Aattanayakan . “Not at all,” she contends, “I only wear clothes I’m comfortable in. That goes for my costumes in Pizza too.” She cherishes director Karthik’s compliments vis-à-vis her performance. “There’s this marriage sequence in the film. After the shot when Karthik told me that I’d given him exactly what he wanted, I was elated,” she goes on.
Her concluding note about the new pizza in town is, “Enter the cinema with an open mind. We have a treat waiting for you.”
