Before signing Captain Miller, actor Nivedhithaa Sathish, in multiple interviews, revealed a bucket list of sorts. She wanted to be part of an actioner, work in a period film, and star opposite Dhanush. Her manifestation game turned out to be all-powerful as all three wishes have come true with Arun Matheswaran’s upcoming film, Captain Miller. “Next, I want to act in a film alongside Rajinikanth sir,” says the actor, and it just might happen soon considering her streak of luck.
“Right from the narration, Arun mentally prepared me for bike rides and physical combat, including the handling of guns. So, I was not alien to the world of Captain Miller when I went on set,” says Nivedhithaa, who steps into the action genre for the first time with Captain Miller. “It was, however, way more difficult than what I had imagined. Luckily I had the best co-actors and action choreographer to guide me.”
What made things even more difficult was that Nivedhithaa and the other women in the film had to combat while draped in sarees. “We seldom see women fight onscreen. It’s even rarer to see them fight in sarees. But this is a period film, and back then, most of them were clad in sarees. Also, when I thought about our women warriors, I realised that their dress would have been their last concern.
Surviving the battle would have been their priority. That’s how I remapped my brain to perform these stunts. Plus, it was a single-drape saree, and every time I needed a break, I had to remove the saree entirely, and then re-drape it later to continue shooting,” says Nivedhithaa.
Talking about the value of her role, Nivedhithaa understands that Captain Miller is like a double-edged sword. It is undoubtedly a big-ticket film, but with an ensemble cast, it means screen time may be limited for character actors. “I have had an unsettling feeling of insecurity ever since my first film. But in Captain Miller, I wasn’t worried about my scope. The shooting period was like going to a film school. Even if I gain no recognition through the film, I have had a great learning curve.”
Having been an actor for about seven years now, Nivedhithaa talks about the biggest change she has seen in the functioning of the industry. “Probably the way complexion is looked at. When I entered the industry, dark skin was definitely not advantageous. But right now, we are in an industry where every skin colour is pretty much normalised,” she narrates.
With Captain Miller coming up, Nivedhithaa says that she is a one-film-at-a-time kind of person. “I have listened to a few stories, the announcements for which will be made soon,” she reveals. And while a film with Rajinikanth has moved to the top of her bucket list, there is more she manifests. “I also want to do a sports film, as well as an intense love story. And when those are done, I will have more dreams,” she signs off.