Not many actors get to make their debut in a big project. Diana Champika, for this reason, considers herself fortunate to have done that with last week’s release, Annadurai. The 20-year-old Chennaite is a familiar face in the ads and modelling circuit. “But I always wanted to become an actor, even if I may not have been too serious about it in the beginning,” says Diana. “Annadurai’s producer, Fathima maam, and Vijay Antony sir’s wife came across my pictures on Twitter and called me for an audition. I met Vijay Antony sir and the director for the first time at the shooting spot,” she says.
The actor, who plays a PT teacher in the film, expresses satisfaction at getting an ‘interesting’ character in the film. “Revathi, my character, is paired with Thambidurai, one of the twins played by Vijay sir. As the story is about what happens over a period of seven years, the bubbly Revathy gets really serious in the second half,” she says. “You could say it’s a bit like Nayanthara’s role in Bodyguard.”
She heaps praise on Vijay Antony who has also made his debut—as an editor—with Annadurai. “He’d finish shooting for the day and then sit with his laptop and edit the film. He’s multi-talented and so hard working,” she says.
The actress has dubbed for her portions in the Tamil version. “I told the team that I couldn’t do it, but they gave me the confidence to go ahead. I also learned about filmmaking by being part of Annadurai. I’m sure it will come in handy for my future projects,” says the actor, who hasn’t yet signed another project.