Sister act

Meet the Vijayan sisters – Niranjana and Niveditha.

They are students of St Joseph's School in Abu Dhabi. They are as unassuming and sweet as any girls their age except that over the last couple of years, they have starred in a number of hit movies in Malayalam and Tamil. Around 100 trophies, shields and awards adorn their living room.

The walls are filled with pictures of the duo on the sets with superstars. Their father, an employee in ADWEA, is instrumental in shaping their careers by carefully screening the offers they get and choosing suitable projects.

Their mother, Praseetha, lends support by accompanying them to the sets and guiding their work.

Niranjana was just over a year old when she participated in a baby show held by the Abu Dhabi Malayalee Samajam. Then she won the ‘Charming Girl' title, hosted by the Indian Social Centre, two years in a row. This was followed by the prestigious ‘Kalathilakam' title which she won from associations such as Abu Dhabi Malayalee Samajam, Estrella Echo Fest, Thirumuttam Mega School Youth Festival – all in three consecutive years!

Her performances were in the fields of fancy dress, mono act, Bharata Natyam, Folk dance and light music. By the age of eight, this bundle of talent had accumulated so many awards that her father had to make a separate chart to keep track of everything. Around this time prominent film director Thulasidas happened to visit their home and on seeing her trophies, offered her the chance to appear in his next movie
Avan Chandiyude Makan (He's Chandi's Son).

But her first movie to be released was Bharath Chandra IPS starring alongside superstar Suresh Gopi. Her favourite acting experience is the Voltas A/C advertisement directed by Prakash Varma of Nirvana Films, Bangalore. This advert was selected as the best of 2006 and huge hoardings featuring the ad were put up all over India.

"People from Delhi and other northern states would come up and say they saw my face in the hoardings," she states.
"I felt really famous." Thanmathra (Clone), the film which addressed the issue of Alzheimer's and went on to become a huge hit, gave her the Asianet Film Award and the JC Foundation Award for Best Child Artist in 2005.
Her favourite actor is the veteran Kamal Hassan and she would like to do movies with him and Aamir Khan.

She is now taking a break from movies to concentrate on her studies.
"I would like to be a scientist when
I grow up and invent something for the betterment of mankind. I would also like to do one special movie which will fetch me an Academy award," says this eager 6th grader.
Niveditha proved to be a worthy contender by winning most of the titles her sister had won.

Since she had the path to stardom already paved for her by her big sister, when celluloid came calling, she was prepared. Her first stint was in a Bhima Jewellery advert by renowned cinematographer, Santosh Sivan. Sivan insisted that Niranjana help direct her younger sister to put her at ease. The most exciting thing she ever did was the stunt for the Tamil film Azhakizha Tamil Magan.

She insisted doing a stunt which involved her jumping from a building without using a dummy. Praseetha was very nervous during this shoot and kept her eyes closed while praying for the safety of her daughter. Palunku (Glass) with superstar Mammootty won her the Mathrubhumi Award and the JC Foundation Award in 2006.
She would like to pursue acting after completing her studies.

She would also like to win the Miss Universe competition. "My parents always say studies are very important. Dad faxes us work done in class when we are at shoots and mom teaches us on the set.

Arabic is a bit tough but I do manage to ace every subject."
She is currently in the third grade.

Her next project is a movie by seasoned director Fasil in which she gets to play a prominent role.

Their father is all praise for the principal and teachers of St Joseph's, who have supported them and the children in all their endeavours. Praseetha adds that the teachers never show any special attention or favouritism to the kids and this has helped to instil a sense of fairness and integrity in her children.

"Working with stalwarts in the industry, like Mammootty and Mohanlal, is a breeze for these girls as they are too young to be intimidated by their fame," their father says.

They have done a few projects together including commercials and the movie Khakhi with Prithviraj. They recently presented a live show on Asianet radio during Onam. "I am really glad my big sister is also in the movies like me.

We get to share a lot of experiences that way," says Niveditha. Niranjana says that she loves doing projects with her sister because since their mom will also be there, it is just
like being at home. "We fight on the sets mainly because she misplaces most of my stuff. And I like to tease her sometimes," she says. "But then mom catches wind of it and she shouts at us for misbehaving."

"There are a lot of sister-duos in the film industry, such as Karishma and Kareena Kapoor and the Olsen twins. I would like it if we could be like that and carve a niche for ourselves in the industry even as we remain close as sisters. After all, sisters are best friends for life!"

– As told to Zenifer Khaleel, an Abu Dhabi-based freelancer