Santhy is a well-known artiste in the Malayalam film industry. She made her Hindi acting debut in Gulmohar, and the actress plays the maid Reshma in it. Among her upcoming projects is a Tamil series with director Bejoy Nambiar alongside actress Madhoo Shah. The Free Press Journal caught up with her for an exclusive chat.
Many actors have their own set of reservations to play certain types of roles and a home servant is one of them.Santhy plays a maid of an urban family set in South Delhi with so much finesse and ease. When asked about her thoughts, she shares, “For me, reading the script of Gulmohar was so exciting. I got to work with some extremely talented actors. I thought that the writers have a beautiful arch for every character in it. It’s like a true ensemble. It was nuanced and detailed. There was so much to explore like belonging, love, home, values, etc. I felt it was a film that has its heart at the right place. So, I really jumped at it.”
Sharing further on her Hindi debut and fears of being typecast, Santhy tells, “I don’t think I have thought about it and in fact, I don’t have anything in Hindi yet to even react to it. I am yet to go through this process. I have a Tamil show coming up next where I am playing an upper middle-class girl which is entirely different to Reshma. There is Madhoo Shah with me and we are aiming for a summer 2023 release.”
Santhy is excited to enter the Hindi market with Gulmohar and seeks good projects. “I am definitely up to explore the Hindi industry. It might be a challenge for me since you work in a certain industry with a formula set up. Like for Gulmohar, I really appreciate how Rahul (V Chittella, director) put an effort to break the ice with all his actors before going onto the sets. We had virtual calls, table reads and all. For me, it is important to work with different kinds of makers. I am open to adapt different styles of filmmaking and also ready to mould myself according to what is being demanded on a particular set,” she explains.
Spilling the beans on her working association with Rahul, she reveals, “I had a great time working with him. We developed a rapport with each other. His vision for Gulmohar was so empathetic. It was really rewarding. He made sure that Reshma has her own bond with each of the characters in the house like how she speaks in Tamil with Indu (Simran’s character).”
Gulmohar is streaming on a OTT platform and also stars Sharmila Tagore, Manoj Bajpayee, Suraj Sharma, Jatin Goswami and Chandan Roy in pivotal roles.
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