BENGALURU: In October 2019, just before the pandemic, author Sudha Menon got a chance to feature in her first advertisement film directed by Bengaluru-based director Prakash Verma. But little did she know that it would form the bedrock for her to pursue acting as a serious business. For an author who always writes and explores women-centric subjects, acting was not something natural, she explains.
“I had a secret dream of doing something in the audio-visual journey earlier but I did not expect that I would be pursuing it as a serious business back then. But when the opportunity showed up, I realised that I loved facing the camera. It was a small ad but it boosted my confidence and I realised I loved acting,” says Menon who has her writing workshop called Get Writing that helps aspiring writers kick-start their writing journey.
The author has now turned to an actor by essaying a role in the OTT web series titled City of Dreams Season 2, directed by Nagesh Kukunoor. The author took to her social media to also tweet a brief video of her role in the web series. However, the foray into the web series was possible only after breaking the ice with the ad films in 2019, which helped her open up her creative mind.
“Within 10 days of my first ad series, casting calls followed. What keeps me interested in this is that I can be anybody at all that I want to be. But the lockdown due to the pandemic put my plans on hold. Post the lockdown, I got an opportunity in the web series project. Although it was a small part, I am delighted because I worked with a director who I always admired,” says Menon who is also the founder of Writing With Women.
Menon also explains that the relentless efforts to do something creative have helped her transition to different works including writing, motivational speaking, modelling, and acting. “I get bored fast and I like doing creative things. The foray into acting is part destiny and part of my willingness to be engaged in creative work all the time. I do want to be stagnant and maintain the same status quo. I am not thinking of playing big roles, even if it is a tiny role I would be delighted,” says Menon, the author of Leading Ladies.
By keeping her interest in writing, intact, Menon, who wrote Feisty at Fifty, wishes to explore more opportunities in the audio-visual industry.
“These are baby steps for me. I am loving the new medium [OTT] because it is garnering a huge audience base, especially in recent times. I believe firmly that learning should be a way of life and I keep myself fulfilled bycontinuously reinventing myself,” says Menon, who has also shot a cameo for another web series that will be released soon.