There is no sign of the star while Manjima Mohan is at home in the city. Dressed in a simple, cotton salwar-kameez, with no trace of make-up on her face, Manjima seems to be enjoying her break away from the arclights. The youngster is busy with her third big film in Tamil, in which she plays the lead with Udayanidhi Stalin, under the direction of Gaurav Narayan of Thoongavanam fame.
However, it is not a complete vacation for the young actor who is waiting for the release of her first bi-lingual film for Gautham Menon. Manjima is also the leading lady in Mudi Soodaa Mannan. Directed by S.R. Prabhakar, the movie has Manjima and Vikram Prabhu in the main roles . In the meantime she is busy learning to drive a car to play her character in Gaurav’s film.
“Gaurav sir calls me up occasionally to find out if I am going for my driving lessons or if I was lazing around at home,” she says and adds, “I have also been told to lose weight.”
In the meantime, the youngster admits that she is looking forward to the release of her Gautham Menon film, Acham Enbathu Madamaiyada . The film, in Tamil and Telugu, has music by A.R. Rahman and Manjima has worked with Silambarasan in Tamil and with Naga Chaitanya in Telugu.
Saying that it was a dream come true to work with Gautham, Manjima gushes about how he gave her time and space to essay her character.
He was also there during the dubbing to ensure that she said her lines correctly. “I speak rapidly and for my roles, I had to lower my tone and speak slowly. That was not easy. Gautham sir is a perfectionist and so one learns a lot while working with him. He usually calls me Manju when he is happy with a shot but if he is not, then it is ‘Manjima’ and he becomes quiet and withdrawn. It is his silence that makes me nervous,” she says talking non-stop about her experiences on the sets.
“What was challenging was moving from one language to the other after every shot. While I spoke my lines in Tamil, Chinmmayi has dubbed for me in Telugu.”
She recalls how Simbu would mercilessly pull her leg while Naga Chaitanya is “so sweet.” Manjima adds that Simbu is a dependable friend whose advice she values while she is hearing scripts and taking a decision.
Thrilled that Rahman’s songs for Acham Enbathu Madamaiyada are topping the charts, she says that she herself enjoys listening to the songs.
A seasoned child star in Malayalam, Manjima also made a mark in television as a poised anchor before she stepped into her teens. As such, she was not nervous about stepping in front of the camera. What made this poised actor become a jumble of nerves was the thought of acting with the big stars in South Indian cinema. “But not even once did any of them make me feel out of place,” she says with a wide smile.
So, when do we get to see her in a Malayalam film? After all, she made her debut as a leading lady in Oru Vadakkan Selfie and that too with Nivin Pauly. “The truth is that I have not heard many exciting scripts in Malayalam. Naturally, it would be great if I got an interesting film in Malayalam,” she sighs.
While many turn nostalgic about festivals, she tells you in a matter of fact tone that she has not been able to celebrate Onam at home for many years now. As a student in Chennai, she was unable to come down to the city for the festival season. Once she became an actor, Onam has usually been spent on the sets of her films.
“My mother, Girija Mohan, is a superb cook. But as I am trying to lose weight, even that food is an indulgence,” she laughs.
