On March 9, Neeta Pillai’s life changed forever. That was the day when Abrid Shine’s Poomaram was released and Neeta stood tall as Irene, the chairperson of a women’s college, who leads her team from the front.
Suddenly there was a buzz surrounding the dynamic Neeta, who fit perfectly into the role of an ideal leader. Her body language, dialogues and screen presence won the audiences over. And Neeta is basking in the adulation.
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A native of Thodupuzha, Neeta was selected for the role through an audition. She had just finished her masters in Petroleum Engineering from the United States and was on a break when a casting call was placed for the movie.
Living a dream
“Honestly, it was like a dream when I got selected. I have always been passionate about movies, but I also knew that it was not easy to get an entry with so many people waiting to get a chance,” she says.
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The five days of a university youth festival is the setting for Poomaram and the tussle for the top prize is between two arch-rivals, with one being a women’s college.
Neeta says that it was a totally new experience for her. “During my school days in Kochi (Bhavan’s, Girinagar), we did have competitions. But I have never been part of something as big as a university youth festival. I just went by what Shine sir said,” Neeta says.
To get a better picture about her role, Neeta interacted with former office-bearers of the college.
“I went to the college to know more about how the college union functioned. I got inputs from former youth festival winners. We had a preparatory camp prior to the shoot and that brought us close. Now we, the gang of girls in the movie are thick friends and still keep in touch,” she says.
Neeta admits that she is trying to get used to her newly-attained stardom. And she was surprised when some fans unearthed that she had won a beauty pageant in the United States.
“I had taken part in it just for fun! I have never done modelling before or after that,” she smiles.
So, is she planning for a career in the industry? “Maybe. I was planning to finish the movie and go back to the US to join MBA. But now I am having second thoughts!”