She has been a child artiste, has donned the role of Jyothika’s friend in Sillinu Oru Kadhal (SOK), and has shared screen space with Ambika, Sneha, Madhavan, Prabhu and Ramya Krishnan. Now, popularly known as Charu in Sun TV’s prime time serial, Thendral, actor Srividya has several serials to her credit and is enjoying a dream run. By playing a bad girl with aplomb in Thendral, its obvious that the girl is really good at being bad!
“Playing Charu, my first negative role, has got me a tremendous appreciation,” says Srividya. “I accept both good and bad comments from audience as compliments. Infact, once a lady said, ‘don’t trouble poor Tulasi like this’ while another told me, ‘you need to see a psychiatrist’. I’m glad that they watch the serial and associate themselves so deeply with the character. This tells me that the character Charu has become a hit among the audience.”
She became a household name when she played actor Devayani’s sister in the superhit mega serial, Kolangal. “Most people didn’t know my real name. It was always Aarthi (Kolangal) for them. But my role in Thendral has changed everything,” says the 20-year-old actress.
So why did she take it up when she had roles like Shakthi in K Balachander’s Sahana to her credit as well? “Charu is an interesting character. A kind-hearted orphan who changes into a psychotic villain was a challenge to perform,” she smiles. “Right from the beginning of the shoot, I have been guided by the director. Slowly, I began to grasp how Charu would react and got under the skin of the character,” she explains.
Acting seems to be in Srividya’s passion though she’s the first from her family in showbiz. “I got my first film offer in class 4 but my dad was reluctant about the offer. Later, we convinced him to give it a try, and that’s how I did my first film, Un Idaththil Ennai Kuduthen.”
Little did she know that in few years, she would have 25 serials to her credit and several films including Yavarum Nalam, Sillinnu Oru Kadhal and Azhagar Malai. But her most memorable experience was acting with Jo as her friend in SOK. “I got to act with my dream couple Surya and Jyothika. What more could I ask for!’ she gushes.
Apart from her hectic schedule, the bubbly actress also finds time to study MBA in Anna University. In her free time, she goes to temples, restaurants and watches movies with her family.