She is one of the few female actors who is not vexed by the gaps in her career. Swetha Menon, who has bagged many a meaty role in her second stint, had only one major release in the year that went by - Kalimannu. But the lovely lady is now back with a bang, gearing up for the release of a Malayalam and a Tamil movie. The latest project in her kitty, Kelvi, will see Swetha in a never-seen-before avatar- as an eccentric scriptwriter named Mayookha Menon.
It is yet another challenging character, reveals the actress with a gush of excitement. In Swetha’s own words, the bilingual flick directed by Hashim Marikar will see her as a ‘slightly psychic yet funny scenarist who is a fantastic writer.’
Swetha says she is yet to get into the skin of the character. Juggling between one set and other of late, the busy actor says, “I have always made it a point to do one movie at a time, and therefore I am a bit scared about this role.” However, she has confidence that once she talks with Hashim and understands more about the character, she will be able to do full justice. The film will go on the floors soon, and will also see Manoj K Jayan, Piaa Bajpai, Mumtaz and Sadha in major roles.
Meanwhile, the Tamil movie Thunai Mudhalvar and the women-centric Malayalam flick 100 Degree Celsius are keeping Swetha on tenterhooks. In Thunai Mudhalvar, Swetha will be seen as a loving homemaker opposite Bhagyaraj. The charming star is all praise for her co-star. “Bhagyaraj sir is one person who is noted for giving enough importance to the female characters. My character is a person who is born to Malayali-Tamil parents. So she has the traits of both cultures. It is a very emotional character,” says Swetha.
Talking about her latest accomplishment, of crooning a song for 100 Degree Celsius, Swetha says with a tinge of humour, “I am full of pride these days as I have sung the number perfectly.” However she adds that the credit for making her sing the song, Pacha manja chuvanna varna... goes to music director Gopi Sundar.. “It is a fast-paced song, and me, Bhama, Ananya and Meghana Raj have sung it together. Though I was apprehensive in the beginning, I was able to complete it in one-and-a-half hours,” she says.
Swetha plays a strong-willed single woman in the film directed by Rakesh Gopan. “The movie is a thriller that speaks about the way four women who live together cover up an incident that happens in their life unexpectedly. My character is a techie who is not serious towards life until this incident happens. It changes her character and attitude towards life,” she says.
Speaking about the fun-filled shooting days with three female co-actors, she says, “It seems Rakesh was at his wit’s end and has vowed not to take any more movies with us. And I was the boss of all the pranks we played at the sets,” says Swetha mischievously.
Within a week, the third season of Veruthe Alla Bharya, the telly show that Swetha anchors will come to an end. The actress is a bit emotional when she speaks about the experience. She says, “It is one of the greatest journeys of my life. The show gave a chance to show the real me to the audience of Kerala. I started anchoring it as a newly married, got pregnant and had a baby and I am still doing the job. So much I could learn from the experience.”
Talking about the baby, the proud mother adds with a smile, “Baby Sabaina is always accommodative, and she hasn’t made any changes to my career.”