CHENNAI: Whatever her mother does, Abhinaya imitates.
She loves to be the centre of attraction and carries herself well. She’s tall and fair. All this encouraged Abhinaya’s parents, Hemalatha and Anand, to get her to model. A character artiste in the Telugu film industry, Anand used to carry his daughter’s photos around and give it to the people he met.
After modeling for an advertisement, Abhinaya’s talent was spotted by ad director Sleeba. “Sleeba asked us how confident we were about Abhinaya, as she couldn’t hear as well as speak. We said we were aware of her strengths and that she could imitate well,” recalls Hemalatha.
Now 19, Abhinaya is a well-known celebrity in the Tamil and Telugu industries.
“Thanks to directors Samudrakani and Sasikumar,” says Hema and adds, “After the release of ‘Nadodigal’, she has become a celebrity. That’s the reason she couldn’t join college.”
And with ‘Easan’, the actress hopes to make it big.
Abhinaya’s father Anand says, “We thank Dr Mohan Kameshwar who performed a cochlear implant surgery on her. Thanks to it, she was able to hear a little.”
How did acting happen?
“Samudrakani saw her pictures when he was searching for a new face for the character of the sister in ‘Nadodigal’,” says her mom.
The success of ‘Nadodigal’ made her act in its Telugu and Kannada remakes. “I would get the dialogue sheets and write it in English and she would imitate the same lip movement,” says Hemalatha.
About her character in ‘Easan’, Hema says, “She plays the heroine in the film, who comes from a village to Chennai.” As the conversation ends, Abhinaya waves her hands and says ‘Thanks’ with a smile.