Director's actor

Actor Mithra Kurian says that she is not just another pretty face

Mithra Kurian.

In the first few reels of director Siddique's Tamil blockbuster Kaavalan (the remake of the Dileep-Nayanthara starrer, Bodyguard ), she appears to be just another sidekick to the film's heroine, just another pretty face with a few one-liners here and there. As the film progresses, her character subtly comes into prominence, subtly turning greyer and greyer, until the very end when she catches us unawares with her shenanigans, leaving us gobsmacked at the turn of events. Such is the character of Madhu – “the second heroine/ third wheel” to Vijay and Asin's lead roles – essayed by young Malayali actor Mithra Kurian. She enacted the same role in both the original and the remake.

“I realised the depth of the character only when I saw the audience reaction. I could overhear members of the audience asking themselves quite bewildered ‘How could she think of doing this?' says Mithra, with a laugh. “The role is definitely not your average second lead. At the beginning of Bodyguard's shoot, Siddique sir pulled me aside and told me not to worry if it seemed that only Nayanthara had dialogues. He said that Seethalekshmi (Madhu's namesake in Bodyguard ) would become a more powerful character as the film progresses,” adds the affable actor.

On the set of

Bodyguard , Mithra says that she was completely the director's actor, “trusting” Siddique to help her evolve the character. “He was very patient with me, taking time out to explain my characters thoughts, feelings, emotions…In fact, I'm lucky that this has been the case with other directors that I've worked with too, especially T. Hariharan sir in my debut film

Mayookham (2005). I really had no clue about acting then. Hariharan sir would tell me to laugh and I would laugh. He would tell me to cry and I would promptly burst into tears! Similarly with Siddique sir, first for

Saadu Miranda and later

Bodyguard /

Kaavalan ,” says Mithra.

Fun on the sets

The actor can't stop gushing about the “fun” she had on the sets of both Bodyguard and Kaavalan . “Working with Nayanthara was great. She is very grounded and was very friendly, giving me tips on clothes, make-up and so on. Dileep ettan , of course, was full of laughs, all the time. Asin and I had a blast jabbering away in Malayalam. You wouldn't think that she is one of the country's biggest stars. Vijay sir, meanwhile, is a real softie; contrary to opinion he is not reserved just soft-spoken and very gentle. Asin and I would switch to Tamil when he was around. A few times he even played dumb charades with us! By the end of both films, we all, the cast and the crew, were like one big family,” recalls Mithra.

A native of Perumbavoor in Ernakulam district, Mithra took her first steps into Mollywood as a child artiste in

Mayookham . She stopped acting shortly afterwards to concentrate on her studies. Her appearance on the cover of an issue of

Grihalakshmi magazine caught the attention of Siddique, who cast her in a supporting role for his Tamil flick

Saadhu Miranda (2008). And then

Bodyguard happened, quickly followed by lead roles in the comedy flick

Gulumal: The Escape ,

Raama Ravanan (opposite Suresh Gopi and based on the novel

Manomani by Madhavikutty), and

Note Out , which was released last week.

The actor will next be seen in London Dreams co-directed by Diphan and M. Padmakumar, and in the Tamil film Kandha . “Not many newcomers would get such a nice break as I have had and I really want to live up to that. As such I am taking things slow. In between, I also have to complete my Business Administration degree. In fact, I thought that post- Bodyguard / Kaavalan , I would get similar ‘double heroine' roles. So far it's been lead roles but I really don't mind doing ‘double heroine' roles as long as my role is as good as going solo.”