It looks like Sunaina has transformed completely for her role in 'Neer Paravai'. She easily surprises people with her village girl look in the trailer and song from the film. While the actor has regained her complexion now, it seems all she had to do to look convincing for the role was to get herself tanned ‘naturally’. “We shot the film in the coastal village of Manapad during peak summer months. Seenu sir told me that we will be shooting across the village for 45 days and that I should get used to the climate. He didn’t want me to look artificial on screen and so I stopped using umbrellas between the takes,” says the actor.
Sunaina says the role of Esther in 'Neer Paravai' is one of the intense roles she has ever played and agrees that she wouldn't have accepted the offer in the initial stages of her career. “I don’t think I was bold or mature enough to essay such a role at the time,” she says. During times when she failed to deliver a solid performance, she says, she would sit by the seashore and spend some alone time before going for a retake. “I had to get into the skin of the character and not pretend to be one. That was one big lesson for me. The depth of the role can be understood only after watching the film,” she says.
Sunaina credits Seenu Ramasamy as the best director she has ever worked with. “Seenu is a passionate filmmaker and a perfectionist. You should just follow what he says. If he is not satisfied with the performance, he won’t mind telling it on the face. But when he is impressed, he goes out of his way to share his happiness with others. I didn’t have any problem while working with him. In fact, it was an enriching experience for me,” she says. While Sunaina is flattered by the comparisons made with actresses like Revathi and Shobana by Seenu Ramasamy, she says, “I know I’m still far behind them, but at the same time, I don’t want to disrespect my directors’ opinions.”
Sunaina is thrilled to see good projects coming her way and says though her role in 'Samar' is small, it’s still very significant. “Sharing details about my character will reveal the story. All I can say is director Thiru wanted me to play the role, specifically. So, I agreed to do the role.” Sunaina says she has the habit of interacting with people she is going to work with, in advance and adds that Trisha, her co-star in 'Samar', was way sweeter than what she heard about the actor from various sources.