Catherine Tresa, who makes her Tamil cinema debut with Madras, grew up in Sharjah. After grade XII, Tresa moved to India to pursue a degree. After a stint in modelling, Tresa is eight films old now. She has worked in all south Indian languages after debuting in Kannada with Shankar IPS. Tresa talks about her role in Madras.
Being Kalaiarasi
“She is a feisty and confident girl, who does not fit into any mould of society. She has a style of her own. I entered the sets like a blank slate leaving behind the baggage of my earlier films. We had a workshop where director Ranjith guided me. Tamil did not pose any challenge, having worked in other south Indian languages. It was more about listening and understanding the given lines well ahead so that I could draw out the emotions correctly. Ranjith is a chilled out guy, who is never ruffled and has an amazing clarity.”
Co-actor Karthi
“Karthi is passionate about work and that’s something I share too. We prepared for the scenes together and it was comfortable working with him.”
Film dreams
“My family is academically oriented and I never intended to get into films. During school days, I was always into extra-curricular activities such as music, dance and skating. I loved being on stage. While at college in Bengaluru, I got into modelling. It was a hobby. And when offers came my way for a Kannada film, I thought, ‘Why not give it a try’?”
