In 2002, when Rimi Tomy first burst onto the small screen, she resorted to the widely-accepted Malayali style code. “Long skirts, jasmine strings and some sandalwood paste over my bindi. Coming from a place like Pala I had no clue about the fashion scene,” she remembers with a smile. Today she seems to have comfortably worked out her own fashion template in extravagant evening gowns, drool-worthy saris and fit-and-flare silhouettes. “Over the years I have lost weight, experimented with different hairstyles and started using designer pieces. It was no overnight transformation,” adds the singer-turned-anchor-turned-actress.
Rimy says being a small screen personality is something she thoroughly enjoys. “When I started off M G Sreekumar was the only other singer on television. I was often advised to stay off TV shows to avoid over-familiarity. But since I was so happy and comfortable there I never gave it a thought. Now I have friends and relatives even at the farthest corners of the worlds. They consider me like a family member.”
Rimi says nothing, even her foray into 70mm, could minimise the excitement of ‘Onnum Onnum Moonu’, her popular show in Mazhavil Manorama. “The basic flavour of the show is fun, but at same the time you have to maintain a certain balance. You can tease the guest, but not hurt their sentiments.” She adds that there are people who call her up after each episode of ‘Onnum Onnum Moonu’. “Mostly there are compliments, but at times I get brickbats too. I have been told that women go to stylists asking for the costumes I used in some episode or other. I think ninety percent of the credit goes to my makeup artist.”
Rimi says though she has a softspot for saris, she always keeps her wardrobe options open. “While doing a 3-hour stage programme I go for a couple of costume changes. If a particular style or costume is not vulgar and suits my body type, I will definitely go for it.” Ask her about her favourite shopping spots and pat comes a string of boutiques in and around Kochi. “When I go outside India, I shop only for western wear. For saris and salwars Indian cities are best,” she says.
Rimi says it was her late friend Melvin who introduced her to the world of fashion. “I started wearing jeans only after my marriage, that too at the insistence of my mother-in-law. Later I started a boutique with my friend Melvin. He was the one who taught me the first lessons of fashion,” she says. Though she has been in the spotlight as an anchor, singer and actress Rimi says music is her first love. “I have anchored a handful of television shows in various channels. But I always turn down outdoor anchoring offers. I am scared that the extra stress will affect my voice,” she winds up.