Mia George was all nerves when she joined Alphonsa College, Pala, Kottayam, for her Bachelor’s in English literature. The charming actress, who will be seen opposite Mohanlal in the upcoming heist movie, Mr Fraud, was anxious about spending three whole years in the campus. But now as Mia looks back, she feels those three years went like three months. “There never was a dull moment. It was only a few days before the farewell, that it struck us that we would soon part with our college,” unwinds the actress with a tinge of nostalgia, about the college days of 2010-‘13.
Mia was already a household name in Kerala when she joined the college, after her stint with the devotional soap Alphonsamma. But she had always dreamt of a regular campus life, says Mia. “I never wanted to miss the fun of college though I was busy with movies. Movie offers were gradually coming my way when I joined. But, as I wanted to balance both academics and acting, I opted for English as the core subject,” she says.
Well, the decision paid off, as Mia graduated with 85 per cent marks. “I loved the literature classes, especially drama sessions,” says Mia. Plays like Macbeth are still fresh in her mind. She credits the amicable approach of her teachers and friends to having helped her pass with flying colours. “They always made notes for me when I was on leave and took efforts to clear my doubts before the exams,” remembers Mia with gratitude. The actress was on a roll, with several meaty roles to her credit in the three years that went by. It was during her second year at college that Chettayees, Mia’s first movie as a heroine came her way. While in Memories, she appeared as a bold journo, Vishudhan was a breakthrough for her as nun Sophy. She feels it was her career’s best role. The glitzy film world never affected the regular college girl in her, she says. “My friends treated me like one of them and I too was friendly with all.”
Mia has several fond memories attached to her college days. It was during her second year that she was adjudged as Miss Alphonsa. “It was the best moment. One of my seniors from the department was also selected as the first runner-up, and we grabbed the overall championship that year. Out of excitement we made a din in the campus,” she says with a smile. Being a trained classical dancer who is learning dance from the early age of three, Mia never missed any opportunity to perform in college. “For the college festivals, I used to perform Kuchipudi and Mohiniyattam. Occasionally, I used to sing too,” she says. But because of her rigorous shoots, Mia could never find time to represent the college for university competitions. “I could not practise much, so I never participated outside college,” she says. “Whenever I danced during the college fests, I was welcomed with thunderous applause, and I was happy that they never treated me as a film star,” she says.
She remembers one incident from those light-hearted days, “Once I had a funny experience. While I was submitting an assignment, the pile of papers in the shelf fell all over accidentally. Assignments of different departments got mixed up, and I had a hard time sorting them into order. The worst part was that I lost my assignment among the heap, and had to resubmit it.”
Speaking about her college days’ pastimes, she says. “We hung around in our canteen, adjacent to the college volleyball court. After having snacks from there, we would gather in the court for endless chitchat.” Mia says she never bunked classes except for film shoots. “As I already missed many classes for shooting, I never wanted to miss college any more than that,” she says.
The actress who is at present pursuing her Master’s in English Literature from St Thomas College, Pala, has several movie projects lined up in the coming months. “Teaching as a second career choice was there in my mind for a while, but I am not sure about it now,” she signs off.
— parvathy@newindianexpress.com