Southern Spice: Meera Nandan speaks ahead of her UAE show

Meera Nandan was still in school when she signed her debut film, Lal Jose’s ‘Mulla,’ in Malayalam. With her angelic face, she walked away with two accolades on her debut, the South Filmfare and Asianet awards. Four years down the line, with 25 films to her name, and ahead of her performance in Abu Dhabi and Dubai this weekend, the actress sat down with tabloid! to look back on her showbiz journey.

On acting:

“I wanted to become a singer, having grown up listening to the strains of music, thanks to my grandmother, who was a music teacher. I was doing a show on [the] Amrita channel and had sent in my application to participate in Ideal Star Singer on Asianet TV. The producer of the show, however, invited me to anchor the show after going through my resume. I was in Grade 12 and co-hosting Ideal Star Singer when I received the offer to work in ‘Mulla.’ Initially, I was quite confused and not keen on doing films. After pondering over it, I realised that this opportunity may not come again. I decided to take it up.‘Mulla’ is close to my heart; I look forward to singing for films someday.”

On her role in the Malayalam film Madirashi:

“I play Bhama, a school teacher. Unlike most teachers, she is naughty and quite immature, but bold. Bhama has the last word on everything. ‘Madirashi’ is a comedy, a film to be watched with the family. This is the first time I am working with Shaji Kailas. He is friendly and easy to work with.”

Paired opposite Jayaram:

“I have worked with Jayaram earlier in ‘Swapna Sanchari,’ where I played his daughter’s friend. Besides, I have accompanied him on stage shows. I share a comfortable relationship with him. In this film, I play his love interest. It was a great experience.”

Films in other languages:

“In Kannada there is ‘Karodpathi,’ directed by C. Ramesh. I play a medical student who is helped financially by the hero. This is again a comedy. Shooting the film was fun as it involved college scenes. Ramesh is fast with regard to his work and he knows exactly what he wants from his actors. I am also working on a Telegu film, 4th Degree. It’s a romantic film opposite Jithan Ramesh and directed by Vamsi Krishna. I can’t divulge much, but you will see a different Meera Nandan in this story.”