After debuting in Ram Gopal Verma’s Satya 2, working with Vasanthabalan in Kaaviya Thalaivan, set in the 1930’s, was a different experience for Anaika. Anaika plays a princess with Siddharth as her love interest.
“I was shooting for Satya 2 when RGV told me that Vasanthabalan had called regarding the role,” she recollects. The next thing she knew, she was travelling to the interiors of rural Tamil Nadu for the shoot. “Being a city girl, I’ve never ever travelled to such parts! But I love exploring new places, so I had a blast,” she says. “In Karaikudi, we stayed under one roof in a big house. We had to have breakfast by 7 am and leave for work. My co-stars would only discuss cinema all the time. I felt very nervous about fitting in, being a newcomer,” she adds.
To play a princess, Vasanthabalan told her to pretend to be one. “I began talking softly, moving gracefully, being more serious and getting used to giving orders! In real life, I’m the exact opposite. It took a bit of getting used to,” says Anaika. She adds that Vasanthabalan was a big help. “He did rehearsals with us and acted out every expression. With RGV, things moved quicky, while Vasanthabalan have his actors all the time in the world to get their act together,” she says.
Her first shot involved driving a vintage car. “That was tough since I had never driven a car before. I had to learn just before the shot. Since it was a vintage car, the brakes and clutch were hard. Also, I had to drive very fast, even as I mouthed Tamil dialogues,” she says with a laugh. Anaika says she had a blast dancing to Hey Mr Minor with Siddharth.