Namitha Pramod is on a joy ride these days. She is all gung ho on the sets of Adi Kapyare Koottamani , the shooting of which is going on at Government Hostel for Men in the capital city. Namitha cannot stop talking about the fun she is having with some young and happening co-stars like Dhyan Sreenivasan, Aju Varghese and Neeraj Madhav. “It is like I have taken off from what I left behind on the sets of Nadhirshah’s Amar Akbar Antony with Prithviraj, Indrajith and Jayasurya.”
Meanwhile, she takes care to divulge only the bare essentials about her role and the story of Adi Kapyare Kottamani directed by debutant John Varghese. “I play a Brahmin girl, Adishtalakshmi. The film is about a men’s hostel and some interesting incidents that happen there,” says Namitha, adding: “ However I can say that it is a beautiful script. Usually when I am given a script to read, I keep postponing it due to my laziness. But when Sandra Thomas and Vijay Babu (producers of the Adi Kapyare... ) gave me the script I finished it at one go. I fell for the humour in the story and immediately said yes.”
Namitha has been lucky to be at the right place at the right time. Within just five years of entering Mollywood, she has worked with the best in the business. Her big screen debut was in one of the path-breaking movies of Malayalam cinema, Traffic , when she was in class nine. Next she played the leading lady in veteran hit master Sathyan Anthikad’s Puthiya Theerangal . Then followed her films with top-rung directors such as Lal Jose (Pullipulikalum Aattinkuttiyum and Vikramadithyan) and Vysakh ( Sound Thoma with Dileep). Some lows were there, but her career was not upset by those duds.
“When I did Traffic I never thought that I would be given a lead role one day. Actually I wanted to become a professor in sociology! I was greatly influenced by the teaching methodology of my sociology teacher Sivakumar sir. But then came one good role after the other. Sathyan uncle, who is a fatherly figure for me, chose me as his heroine. Though there was a small break in between owing to my studies, good roles came my way thanks to Lalu uncle (Lal Jose) and some of the leading directors in Malayalam cinema. So, on the whole it has been a beautiful journey,” she says.
Amongst her many characters, she chooses to dwell upon her role as Geethanjali, a dancer who is the ‘other woman’ in Sidharth Bharathan’s Chandrettan Evideya. “It has been very different from all my previous roles. I had to play a character much above my age. The best thing was that she could be perceived as a negative as well as a positive character. I enjoyed playing Geethanjali, bringing in the mannerisms of a female classical dancer. They have a particular body language, when they speak or emote. There is an innate grace and elegance in their movements…. their dress and accessories all stand out. I picked up all these nuances from my friends who are dancers. In fact I used to imitate them and that came handy for this role.”
In her upcoming film Amar Akbar Antony, she is again playing a dancer, Jeni, who grows up in a colony. “Actually I had learnt dance as a small girl but since I was more into studies, I left that behind,” she says.
She continues to be a student and is doing her undergrad studies through distance education. “Although I had taken admission at a regular college in Kochi, due to my professional commitments, I discontinued it. People ask whether I miss out on the colours and vibes of campus life. Not really because I haven’t experienced it. The point is that I will continue to act without compromising on my studies. There is no age limit to studies, right?”
She is equally particular about the roles she chooses. “I am open to acting in other languages, provided I get good roles. However, I continue to insist that I won’t do glamorous roles and intimate scenes,” she says, before signing off.
Her favourites
On screen: I loved the roles played by Parvathy in Bangalore Days and Nazriya in Ohm Shanthi Oshaana . And my all-time favourite is Sobhana ma’am.
Vineeth vs Dhyan: They are poles apart. Vineeth ettan (Vineeth Sreenivasan) comes across as this introvert, while I acted with him in Ormayundo Ee Mugham , whereas Dhyan is cool, outgoing, always cracking jokes and a live wire on the sets.
Style : I admire Deepika Padukone for her style. She knows how to carry herself. As for my style preference, I dress to suit the occasion.
Possession: My watch collection. They are branded ones and I won’t give that to anyone.
Life Mantra: What Paulo Coelho said: 'When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it'. I don't know how many times I read it a day. It is so motivating...
Happiness: Listening to music. I am forever plugged to my headphones.
