Vanitha Krishnachandran was a mere teenager when she forayed into the world of showbiz some three decades back. What followed was a busy career spread across three languages until she tied the knot with actor-singer Krishnachandran. She went missing for a while post marriage and was then back to stir the telly scene. The actress, who made a slow and steady return to silverville, is now the most-sought-after onscreen mom in Mollywood.
“I know which role to accept by instinct. I prefer doing a handful of memorable roles rather than walking in and out of the frame like a prop,” says Vanitha who will be soon joining the location of Vysakh’s Vishuddhan in which she plays Kunchako Boban’s mother. She has shared the screen with all the new sensations in Mollywood be it Dulquar Salman or Nivin Pauly. “But when you look at it, each character has some sort of genuineness that sets it apart from another. The mother in Artist has an entirely different shade from the one in Memories,” she says. The actress adds she is least bothered about the reel time and wouldn’t mind doing extended cameos.
“I had just one scene in Thattathin Marayathau, but when Vineeth explained my role I readily accepted it. Though it was only a little more than a blink-and-miss appearance, my character was noted. I am totally comfortable playing mothers or even grandmothers provided the character has some prominence.”
The actress seems equally excited about her parallel career in Tamil. Presently she is part of Idhu Kathirvelan Kadhal, a rom-com starring Udhayanidhi Stalin and Nayanthara in the lead, and actor-director Sasikumar’s Brahman. In Idhu Kathirvelan Kadhal I play Nayanthara’s mother and it’s a full-length comedy character. In Brahman my character is someone you will easily come across in rural Tamil Nadu. She is the intermediary between the father and son who seem to have a difference of opinion most of the times.”
Vanitha says she ended up in the industry by accident as she comes from a family with no film background and never cherished any dream to become an actress.
She remembers entering the industry as a 13-year-old: “I played a school girl in my first film and initially it was all about switching the uniforms. Following my first film Padai Maarinal I did nearly 150 films in Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu. The scene 30 years back was entirely different. When I started my career you just had to follow the cues and do as told. But today there is more scope for improvisation.”
She took a break following her marriage and was hesitant to go back initially. “It took a lot of prodding from the part of Balachander sir who was making a telefilm based on ‘Macbeth’. Once he convinced me, there I was back in front of the camera playing Lady Macbeth,” she smiles.
She says the real break in her second innings was Amma Manasu and once the show started airing on Asianet there was no looking back.
She says all her co-stars who made their exit from silver screen post marriage are now back. “Menaka, Nalini, Suhasini, Radha, Ambika, all are now into either films or television. I was part of Suhasini’s first film Nenjathai Killathey and we still share the same old rapport whenever we meet.” Vanitha winds up.