''I MISSED THE NATIONAL AWARD BY TWO VOTES''

Kuttram Kadithal (KK) is lapping up glory with positive words all over. Heroine Radhika Prasidhha talks exclusively to behindwoods:

Initial years

I moved to Chennai to become an actor. I have lived all over India as my dad worked for a bank. He passed away when we were in Coimbatore. He was a great fan of Sivaji Ganesan and used to tutor me every day on the legend’s dialogues from his films. Every night at the dinner table, I will have to tell a Sivaji dialogue. I used to learn the dialogue and recite to get his appreciation. Although he used to make me act every day, he did not want me to take it as my profession, which was a little strange.

Miss Coimbatore

Post school, I did not know what to do. As I was good at Math, I joined CA and passed the first level. I was working for an auditor; the first six months were very interesting, but later it got really boring. That’s when I saw a poster of a beauty pageant and I participated and won the title Miss Coimbatore. From there, I partook in Miss South India and got the Miss Talent title there. Somewhere in between I realized that I can become an actor and I can perform. I started auditioning.

The turning point

I also felt I was not skilled enough for the profession and therefore I enrolled in a theatre workshop with Yog Jappi. And later, he roped me in for a play. The moment I went on stage it was like sheer bliss. That moment I decided this is going to be my career. I quit my CA classes; I told my mom that I only want to become an actor. From then on, I have been doing theatre, storytelling and all things related to acting. I also finished my degree in Psychology and I work under a psychotherapist. For me, personally, acting is a cathartic process and has been a healing experience. I feel that it has a psychological impact when we tell stories through this art as it impacts the actor too and hence can be brought under psychotherapy.

Kuttram Kadithal

While doing theatre, I acted in a webseries called Nyayiru Maalai, a first one for Tamil. Christy, producer of Kuttram Kadithal saw that and showed it to Bramma and then they called for an audition. That’s how Kuttram Kadithal happened.

Being Merlin

First when Bramma narrated the story to me, before the audition, it was not in detail. Later, before going to the shoot, he sent me the script and when I read that, although I was not completely empathetic to Merlin, I felt like I ought to do it as the story really moved me. We shot over a year and I had to wear that saree almost every day. At some point while shooting, the distinction between Radhika and Merlin merged. There is a particular scene where I was running and I had to tell myself- 'It’s ok, I can go back home, I am Radhika'. It really terrified me. However, after the movie got over, I felt sad that I had to let go off that character. I wanted to complete Merlin. I was curious to know what happened to her after the film got over. Over a period of time, I got empathetic to the emotions in that film. For me, guilt is self-imposed handcuffs. Either you accept that you have done something, make amends and move on or you deny that you did it. The guilt that is in between (as in the film); I never had an empathy for it. Through Merlin, I understood the suffering and I think now I can empathize that with people.

Bramma

Working in Kuttram Kadithal was like working in a play. We had rehearsals for 30 to 45 days before the shoot and during that period Bramma made me wear saree everyday so that I get used to walking in it. He was much focused and wanted all his actors to get comfortable with their characters. He gave us a lot of scope and took our inputs too. He was encouraging of the actor’s creativity. He is the perfect director for actors to grow.

While working in the film, did you feel that KK is going to get these accolades?

No. We just did our job. Energy was involved in completing the film beautifully rather than expecting anything besides that. After the National awards were announced, we all met as a team to meet the press. That's when the magnitude of it all sunk in. All of us were very happy.

Appreciation

Before the release, many from the film fraternity spoke and congratulated me. Director Bharathi Raja said that I was among the three who were nominated for the Best Actress for National Award and that I lost out just by 2 votes. But I feel his appreciation was the biggest compliment of them all. I still have a long way to go. But that gave me the encouragement to walk the distance.

That’s wonderful Radhika and we wish you all the best!