When there is a reason to converse, Nithya Menen does. Otherwise, she refuses media interactions, no excuses given. She exercises the same practicality with most scripts, turning down ones that might not sell. Nithya does soften to experiment every once in a while.
With her upcoming bilingual by KS Ravikumar, Mudinja Ivan Pudi in Tamil and Kotigobba 2 in Kannada, the reticent actress, making a comeback in Sandalwood after Mynaa, says working with Sudeep was inspiring.
"Every time I see him, I am inspired to write a character for him. I usually don't feel this way about other actors. He motivates a person to set out on their own. I even narrated two to three short stories I had written and he encouraged me to try making a film and said he would be part of it,” she says.
Sudeep is now more a family friend and she found the freedom to discuss, a lot of things with him. “It is always nice to know that the person who is starring opposite me is excellent and that usually turns out well,” she says.
Nithya admits that she had given in to a bit of vanity. "The writer (T Sivakumar) of the film convinced me that only I could carry off that role," she says, "That encouraged me to pick up the film."
Interestingly, not being a film buff, Nithya knew nothing about director KS Ravikumar.
The actress has only seen the filmmaker's Padaiyappa and insists that her decision was finally made by a "certain gut feeling".
“We both come from very different worlds," she says. "We've had arguments... The way I approach a film is completely different from the way he does."
Generally we see her in movies that give both the hero and heroine nearly equal screen space. "Everything was new here. I was surprised by the way filmmakers approach commercial movies. I realised that this is a film all about 'Him' and heroines just play a supporting role," says the actress.
"But when I kept all those differences aside, I found KSR to be such a nice person. We really got along well. Once he got to know my calibre, he went easy on me."
The bilingual is produced by Surappa Babu.
The actress is now trying to make a strong statement through her roles in commercial films. She says any genre will appeal to all audiences if it is made with a certain maturity.
“The intent of the content must be creative. I want to bridge that gap between 'off beat' and 'commercial' movies, which is why I've decided to be part of such entertainers,” she says.
She's been seen more in Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu, but the actress says that she never went by languages and is always guided by content. “I have had several Bollywood offers, but if it is not impressive, I don't take it," she says.
Nithya says she is guided more by her intuition and less by the logical mind. "I like to be part of films that appeal to my taste, my liking and my way of doing things. I don't see films as a money-making venture or just another job and I do not use this career to further any self-centred interests. I also write and so value the other persons' works."
She cannot stress enough the importance of picking the right films. Where does Nithya stand at this point in her career?
"I have a feeling that it is just the beginning," she says.
"If you don't close your eyes or your doors, there is a lot more to do."
She sounds brightly optimistic: "In this industry, people know who Nithya Menen is and what I can do and what they can come to me with. From now on, I think, bigger things are set to happen."
Nithya does not want to limit herself to acting. "I hope to do a lot more things with films and not just remain or die an actress. I want to involve myself in production and writing... There is a lot more to do, acting is not the end," she says.