BEHINDWOODS COLUMN

Vijay Antony seems to have struck gold at the box-office yet again after Naan, with Salim. The film is being appreciated and looks like a 'sleeper hit' in the making. The lead heroine Aksha Pardasany has also grabbed our eyeballs with her role as the intolerant and hyperactive girlfriend who isn't very happy with her fiance's passive ways. In this exclusive chat with Kaushik, for Behindwoods.com, Aksha opens up about Salim, her career and plans ahead. Read on ... 

 

How has the feedback been for your role and performance in Salim?

 

The feedback for the film on the whole has been unbelievable. We always knew we were making a good film and that we will strike a chord with a certain section of the audience. But an overall acceptance of the film was a huge surprise and a pleasant one at that. My role was appreciated in a way that even though I was playing a nagging fiance, people on twitter and otherwise found me lovable. People said I played the character to the T.

 

Are you as impatient, intolerant and hyper in real life too? 

I am hyper, and impatient sometimes but not intolerant. Even my patience levels have increased after I entered the film industry. I am sensitive otherwise, and very tolerant. But I cannot tolerate stupidity or hypocrisy.

 

What made you choose this role and what was the brief given by the director for your role?

 

The reason I chose this role was because it was very relatable. Every 3rd city-bred girl is arrogant and impatient and expects way too much from her partner. I was playing a modern girl who wants and dreams of a perfect partner.

 

Any references and homework that you did for the role?

 

No reference and no home work. I don't believe in doing too much prep for a film unless really needed. Some actors need to rehearse before they face the camera, while others are spontaneous actors. I'm spontaneous. I get nervous in rehearsals.

 

How did you go about managing your Tamil dialogues and your lip-sync while shooting? Have you picked up Tamil ? 

Language has never been a barrier. I've done a Malayalam film and 6 films in Telugu. At home I speak Hindi and English. Tamil is such a poetic language. I picked it up well during shoot with the help of my team. Vijay, my director and the whole team were so encouraging. After 2 or 3 films in Tamil I want to dub for myself.

 

Did you see the earlier 'Naan' ? And how was it working with Vijay Antony?

I saw Naan while I was shooting for Salim. I was pretty taken aback and surprised with Vijay's performance. When I started shooting with him, he was so confident and in a good way. He produced the film, gave music and acted in the film at the same time. As a producer you have a million tensions but when he was in front of the camera, it never showed on his face. Such a humble and multitalented person he is. I am truly inspired by him and want to try singing as well.

 

Its a pleasant surprise to see a plump and chubby heroine after quite a while. Do you intend to continue the same way or any intentions to slim down as all other heroines do at some point of time? (like Sonakshi Sinha and Hansika did recently)

Thank you. I put on weight for Salim. Honestly there is no intention. As an actor you have to mould yourself according to the role you play. If a character demands me to be chubby I'll eat my heart out, if not, I'll go to the gym and lose the extra weight.

 

How much do you follow the Tamil industry? The recent movies which really impressed you?

Of course I follow the Tamil film industry. I am a huge fan of Dhanush. Tamil films are good in content and the best part is that good stories are not considered art films. I think Tamil people are true cinema lovers. They appreciate a good story as well as a masala flick. And good cinema as well as a masala flick have an equal audience. That does not happen in other language films. Good story films are categorized into the art film bracket and have a very limited audience. Tamil audience is also encouraging to new actors. I've seen films like Ghajini, Bheema, Naan etc.

 

Who are your idols and inspirations in the cinema field?

I honestly don't idolize anybody. I appreciate a lot of actors and actresses but don't want to copy or imitate anybody. You have to be yourself to carve a place for yourself. If you are a copy, you lose your individuality. Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan, Rajnikanth are huge stars and humble at the same time. That's truly inspiring. Actresses like Khushboo, Simran, Sharmila Tagore, Mumtaz are beautiful. Trisha too.

 

Your dream role, dream co-stars and favorite directors in the industry? 

 

There was a Hindi film called Queen. I would love to do something like that. Dream directors are so many. Shankar sir, Bala sir, Bharatiraja sir. A lot of Hindi and Telugu directors too. Co-stars would be Vijay, Dhanush, Surya and Ajith sir.

 

Any upcoming offers in the Tamil industry and the other states?

I'm doing a Telugu film now. Its too early to talk about my future Tamil films. Talks are on. When its official I will let you all know. God bless :)

 

All the very best, Aksha ...