In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, 'Lady Superstar' Nayanthara opened up about her journey of over two decades in Indian cinema. She recalled working with Malayalam superstar Mohanlal on veteran filmmaker Fazil’s Vismayathumbathu.
During the interview, Nayanthara recounted the tense experience on set, adding that her lack of training and understanding of cinema’s technical demands made her early days daunting.
“I still remember, there was a day when Fazil sir got really upset with me, and he was like, ‘I really can’t take it, you’re not understanding’. First of all, I don’t think in Malayalam, and cinema language is different from the language that we speak. Mohanlal sir kept telling me, ‘Nayan, you have to emote from within’. He kept on saying that and I got so annoyed,” she said.
Nayanthara recalls telling Mohanlal, 'Sir, I don't know what I'm doing. I don't know anything about the dialogue I'm saying. You're asking me to cry on this word, and fall in love on that word. There's nothing inside me. Only fear.' Mohanlal laughed and told her to take a break.
Fazil, visibly upset, decided to take a break, retreating to collect his thoughts. After spending two hours by himself, the director returned with words of encouragement for the young actor.
"Listen, I really trust you, and I’m going to trust you again. I want a rock-solid performance, and I can’t be a failure. I’m calling a break today, tomorrow you come back and then we’ll decide.’ I genuinely felt very bad for him," the acclaimed director told Nayan.
She resolved to work hard to please the filmmaker, and ultimately her determination paid off. The next day, Fazil hugged Nayanthara and expressed his pride for her. And that moment marked a turning point in our Lady Superstar's career.
Vismayathumbathu (2004) is a psychological thriller helmed by Fazil and had starred Mohanlal, Mukesh, and Nayanthara in key roles. It is based on the 1999 French novel 'If Only It Were True' (Et si c'était vrai...) by Marc Levy which was also adapted into the 2005 American film Just Like Heaven.
The Malayalam version's plot revolves around Sreekumar (Mohanlal), a man with a sixth sense, while Nayanthara plays the role of a wandering spirit who becomes entangled with him.