Keya on 'Kalki' high
KOCHI: Keya Nair has been on cloud nine since she bagged the role of Raia in the mega-hit blockbuster Kalki 2898 AD. But she admits that she had gone to the audition without ‘great expectations’. But the short-haired one was in for a lovely surprise when her audition was before the giant of Indian cinema, the Big B himself — Amitabh Bachchan, who donned the role of Ashwatthama in the movie.
Keya, who has roots in Thiruvananthapuram but is based in Hyderabad, also got the chance to don various costumes designed by Archana Akhil Rao during the auditioning phase. It was only when the costume design team summoned Keya to the sets again that it dawned on the 17-year-old that this was no ordinary movie, but a multi-star-studded sci-fi mythological film.
Keya’s role revolved around the characters played by Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone and Shobana. “This opportunity was a real eye-opener for me as until then, I had only acted in school plays. In the beginning, I was very nervous. But the more time I spent on the set, the more comfortable I became. Bachchan sir was a delight to work with. He helped me practice my lines,” Keya told TNIE.
On her first meeting with Deepika Padukone, the dashing actor squealed when Keya asked if she should call her ‘aunty’. “She said, ‘You are my buddy. Please call me Deepi,’” she recalls, adding that Deepika was very affectionate and warm.
She also recalls fond memories of time spent with Shobana. She too helped her with the lines, Keya says, adding “The entire crew was amazing. A young and vibrant team.”
While it was no doubt a lot of fun, the bubbly child actor also had a harrowing episode on the set when she fainted. Though initially her parents, Andrew Berry and Manisha Nair, had dismissed it on account of exhaustion after a continuous acting spree, they were shocked to learn when the doctors diagnosed her condition as Type 1 diabetes.
The incident saw Amitabh Bachchan learning more about juvenile diabetes and even made a mention of it in his daily blog, which Keya says is a ‘precious memory’.
“He was so affectionate towards me. Like a grandfather.”
Since Keya’s character’s role mostly revolved around Amitabh Bachchan, she spent a lot of time with him and thus bonded well.
However, because of restrictions on the set that prohibited anyone from taking photos along with Amitabh Bachchan, Keya and her parents visited him at another location where they rekindled their memories of Kalki 2898 AD.
She had only spent a year in Kerala for her fifth grade, during which time she stayed with her maternal grandparents Wing Cdr R Mohanchand, a retired pilot in the Indian Air Force, and Mallika in Thiruvananthapuram.
Keya regrets not learning Malayalam then, but she did such a great job dubbing for Kalki in Malayalam and Telugu. Even though she does not speak Malayalam, the youngster loves watching Mollywood flicks, as does her siblings — twin Tara and elder brother Uday.
Now, she is raring to act in more films and is hopeful that she will be roped in for Kalki’s second edition. However, for now, her immediate focus is on securing good grades for the Plus Two Boards and securing a seat at the prestigious National Institute of Design.