Aishwarya Lekshmi is the new star on the horizon.
With her outstanding performance in the Aashiq Abu directed Mayaanadhi, this Kochi-based doctor is here to stay.
Lekshmi plays Aparna, an aspiring actress looking for her big break. She loves Mathan, a young man doing odd jobs and now on the run after killing a policeman.
Aparna is today’s woman — ambitious and clear about her goals in life and love. It’s a gamut of emotions that her Aparna goes through.
But new success carries a price. And this actress is burdened with a new responsibility.
“I don’t want to spoil the good name Mayaanadhi has brought me,” said Aishwarya Lekshmi, who debuted last year with Njandugalude Nattil Oridavela, opposite Nivin Pauly. “I am careful about selecting my next project and it’s actually quite scary.”
Although she participated in school dramas and college cultural functions, she never considered acting. Medicine was her only goal. What egged her into films was a note posted in a cafe calling for auditions for a Nivin Pauly film.
“My MBBS results were out and I was relaxed. I thought why not give it a try?”
Nandukalude Nattil Oru Idavela was the stepping stone.
A huge fan of Abu, Lekshmi remembers bunking college to watch his critically acclaimed 22 Female Kottayam. So, it was an unbelievable moment when she was selected for Mayaanadhi.
What followed was more like a dream, she says, “as I went through look tests and script narrations.”
She credits writers Syam Pushkaran and Dileesh Nair for helping her in depicting Aparna well.
“I followed instructions to the T. Aashiq ettan [big brother] never raised his voice on the sets.”
Having known actor Tovino Thomas from before, it was easy working with him. She was a bit apprehensive about the kissing scene with him and worried about her parents’ reaction.
“I trusted the team and knew the scene would be aesthetically done and not for marketing purpose,” said Lekshmi.
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Don’t miss it
Mayaanadhi releases in the UAE on March 1.
