In Ambi Ning Vayassaytho, Sruthi will be sharing screen space with Sudeep for the first time. In addition, it’s also a film which marks the comeback of Ambareesh in a full -fledged role. In a candid chat with CE, Sruthi tells us how she’s prepped for her role.
Sruthi Hariharan, who plays the younger version of Suhasini Maniratnam had more than a couple of reasons to be part of Ambi Ning Vayassaytho. Besides it being a “different kind a commercial subject”, the film also marks the comeback of Ambareesh in a full-fledged role. “If I had to define his role in Ambi.. I would call it ‘cute’,” says Sruthi about her film made under Kiccha Creations, along with Jack Manju and director Gurudatha Ganiga.
Playing the younger version of Suhasini, which gave the actor an opportunity to travel back to the 80s. “Since I grew up in Bengaluru, it’ll give me an idea as to how a small-town girl adjusts to city life. I had to observe how they carried themselves and their mannerisms,” she says.
Working with superstar Sudeep, Sruthi says was a new experience. “Sudeep also stepped in to direct some bits of the film. He directed one of my scenes. It was very intense and challenging. Of course, it wouldn’t have been possible with the actor’s inputs. He managed to get out something else out of me,” she says.
Even before Gurudatha got into direction, Sruthi knew him. But it was on the sets that she found out his unassuming nature. “People wondered if he would be able to manage the sets, but once he dons a director’s hat, he knows how to call the shot. He never came across as a first time director,” he says.
Sruthi who has watched many of Suhasini Maniratnam’s films in different languages is impressed at the veteran actor’s versatility. “I find her simplicity endearing. She is also one of the very few intelligent actresses we have in the film industry. As a writer, director, there are so many things about Suhasini Ma’am that inspire me. In Ambi.. I play a younger version of her, but at no point am I comparing myself to her. For the role, I watched her films to learn her body language. I hope I have done justice to the role. I particularly like her hairstyle and confidence,” she says.