Life in tinseltown was no bed of roses for Sunaina. But she learnt to embrace her failures with a smile. “I was a teenager when I got my first offer and had no clue on how to select scripts. A couple of Telugu movies flopped. It was only after I did Kadhalil Vizhunthen opposite Nakul in Tamil that I first tasted success. Soon, I learnt to pick and choose my scripts,” she says. The actress is now anxiously awaiting her forthcoming release Vamsam, directed by Pandiraj, with Arulnidhi in the lead. “The film is releasing this Friday (August 13) and I’m waiting for the feedback. Initially, I was hesitant to sign the project as I had already acted as a village belle in Yadhumagi. I didn’t want to repeat the look. But I accepted it because Pandiraj of Pasanga fame was to direct the movie and I was sure the character Malarkodi would help me prove my acting prowess,” says Sunaina. “I watched Pasanga after meeting Pandiraj. I was surprised to see the kids performing better than the experienced actors. With a good producer (MK Thamizharasu) and a good team, I couldn’t really ask for more. I signed the project immediately.”
Speaking about debutante Arulnidhi, Sunaina says, “He is very humble and down-to-earth. At first I was nervous as he comes from a respectable family but it was surprising to see his humility.”
‘I blabber a lot’
“It’s easy for me to portray characters that have no traces of my personality but I find it difficult when the character resembles me in many ways. My character and Malarkodi’s are similar. The character keeps talking and doesn’t know what to speak when and where. I do exactly that in real life,” smiles Sunaina and continues, “So, I’m always cautious about what I talk so as not to blurt anything out. I accept that I blabber a lot.” About her role in Vamsam, she says, “Right from bathing in a lake to plaiting my hair with a side partition (which reminded me of my school days), I thoroughly enjoyed the village life in Vamsam.”
Asin, a messenger of love
A beautiful cow plays an important role in the film. A messenger of love between the two lead roles. “Asin (the cow) was the toughest star to handle. The crew had a tough time getting those angles right. In the film, the hero sells his cow to me and I name it Asin. As the director pointed out, it was not meant to offend anyone. Asin is a beautiful and wonderful actress. Similarly, everyone will love this Asin too. She delivered calves during the shooting and she was rather angry when we separated her from her calves. Not just me, the entire crew had become so attached Asin. I spoke to her a lot. I love animals and I like speaking to them and we (Asin and I) shared a good rapport,” says Sunaina
What’s next?
Kathirvel with Ajmal and Thiruthani with Bharath. I don’t want to sign any projects in a hurry. I’m just waiting for the release of Vamsam.