Sunethra Nagaraj, popularly known as RJ Nethra, has a gift of the gab; her successful career as an RJ is proof of it. Having interviewed many celebrities during her career and also being the elder sister of actor Rishi ( Operation Alamellamma, Kavadu Daari ), it does not come as a surprise that Nethra too has been bitten by the acting bug.
Having bowled over her listeners with her chatty shows, Nethra will be seen in the thriller 6ne Maili ( sixth mile ) which releases this Friday. The film is directed by See Ni and she shares the screen with the National Award winning actor Sanchari Vijay.
Nethra is not new to acting; 6ne Maili is her third film after Aatagara and Ring Road Shuba.
Ask her what the film is all about and the RJ says, “The film looks at the urban habit of going on weekend treks. Two groups go missing while on a trek in the Western Ghats. A few people get together to find out what actually happened to the missing trekkers.”
Nethra plays one of the missing trekkers. “There is a twist to my character in the second half. Sanchari Vijay’s character and my character have two distinct shades.”
Nethra doesn’t see much of a difference between being an RJ and an actor. “We are constantly emoting — with our voice, face and body. We are creative even when we interact with people and are spontaneous in the manner in which we react to others.”
What she found challenging was to look good and fresh all the time on screen. “As an RJ I just had to sound good,” who adds that late night shoots were taxing for her. “I always thought I was a night owl, but, during the shoot, I discovered that I tired out easily at night. We had no network as we were in the middle of a forest. We would get lost and had to walk a few miles to reach the next point. We faced many challenges. We had to run in the jungles where there was absolutely no lighting. So certain parts were scary too,” laughs Nethra, who says she will continue with RJing and acting as “RJing is what has made me what I am today.”
He treks on differently
Sanchari Vijay, who has won accolades with his acting prowess will now be seen as a trekker in 6ne Maili. The actor, who won awards for his performance as a transgender in the film Naanu Avanalla...Avalu , says, “ 6ne Maili is a thriller. My role is challenging. I could relate to it. As a youngster I would take off on trips on my bicycle. These days people drive. Most don’t know much about the destination they are headed towards, but take off randomly and face difficulties once there. The film is about how they face such problems and tackle it.”
Describing the film as “a director’s film,” Vijay says, “the story is the hero. The background score, the cinematography and every character is important in this film.”
Talking of the plot, Vijay says, “There is a particular place called 6ne Maili where people disappear. We are 60 artistes in this film and every character will stay on in your mind even after you leave the theatre.”
The film, reveals Vijay is produced by a neurosurgeon and a certain amount of profit from the film will go towards charity. “It is also technically very well handled. I am a little uncertain if I have done justice to my character as this is very different from all that I have done in the past.” Vijay then gives credit to the make up artist Uma Maheswar for giving him a new look in this film.
“People will connect with this film, which also has a tiny message for every trekker. Except for Nethra and me, every character is chosen to depict their own profession on screen. Like we have a Dr Janaki play a doctor in the film too.”
