Think Devi Ajith and what pops up in your mind is a bold, street-smart lady with a devil-may-care attitude. Zarina, the character in her comeback film Trivandrum Lodge, reinforced that image and soon she was flooded with copycat roles. “That was the part I didn’t like. I was getting typecast,” says Devi, who could finally break free from stereotypes through Mili and Mariyam Mukku.
The actress, who now has a handful of interesting projects in her kitty, says she is excited about the roles she is offered of late. “After Trivandrum Lodge I did Emmanuel and Kanchi, but there were no big commercial hits, and the image lingered in the mind of the audience. But after seeing me in Mili and Mariyam Mukku in unexpected avatars so many good films are coming my way,” she says. Among her upcoming films are TP 51, a film which is based on the brutal murder of T P Chandrashekharan. Devi says she had no qualms signing the film which deals with a highly volatile subject — Kerala’s most discussed political murder. “I hardly know anything about politicos and parties. For me it’s a heart-wrenching story that chronicles a family’s tragedy and I found the subject really intriguing,” says Devi who plays T P Chandrashekharan’s wife Rama in the film. She says the character in Mili garnered her much appreciation from the industry. “My reel time in Mili is very limited and I appear in four-five scenes only. But after its release many filmmakers called me up and said they never thought I could pull off such a role. I really felt honoured and all the credit for this goes to Rajesh Pillai,” she says. Katrina, her character in Mariyam Mukku, was equally different. “Mariyam Mukku is a male-oriented film, but you cannot easily forget Katrina,” she adds.
Another film she is looking forward to is Appavum Veenjum, which is expected to go on floors next week.