Remember Ratnamma teacher of Manjurukum Kaalam?
Her wickedness knew no bounds and the viewers detested her guts. If you meet Lavanya Nair, who played the role with aplomb on screen, you would be in for a surprise. The mother of a two-year-old baby girl, she is nothing less than a friendly, soft-spoken soul. She’s just in her 30s, but already has 30 serials to her credit, after debuting on the small screen through the soap opera, Asooya Pookkal. In conversation with Lavanya, whose latest serial is Bhramanam.
Anitha of Bhramanam, a concerned momBinu Vellathooval’s serial Bhramanam, my latest project, is based on the novel of renowned writer Joycy. He is also the producer of the project. My character Anitha is a home nurse, and she is the estranged wife of actor Mukundan Menon’s character Harilal, who is a bank employee. Certain unfortunate incidents force Anitha to leave her husband and daughters, but she is still a mom who is concerned about her children. By coincidence, Anitha lands up in the world of her former family, yet again. Anitha’s is a character who represents mothers who guide their children onto the right path, no matter the situations.
It is my second serial with Mukundan Chettan (actor Mukundan Menon) after Gandharvayamam. I still have a lot to learn from him, in terms of acting.
Characters with grey shades are challengingMy first character with a grey shade on the mini screen was the one in the 2011 serial Avakashikal, directed by Rajesh Puthenpurayil. My character was that of a possessive wife, named Rachel. Being a villainous woman, I was not confident that I can play her well enough. In the initial episodes, I even used to fight with the script writer Suresh Unnithan for the dialogues laced with wickedness, which I had to deliver (laughs). Despite my reluctance, over time, I could get under her skin with ease.
In 2015, yet again, through Manjurukum Kalam, I tried a negative character named Ratnamma teacher. Her character curve starts off on a positive note, but turns into a baddie over time. While I received good feedback for my performance, when children used to spot me in public, they would appear scared – probably because Ratnamma mistreated the leading character Janikutty a lot. Kids were even afraid to interact with me on those days. But once I shake hands with them and speak in a friendly manner, I could put them at ease.
Dancer to actressI was a student of classical dance at an institute in Thiruvananthapuram, during my pre-degree days, when veteran director Sivamohan Thampi sir spotted me. That gave me an entry ticket into the small screen, through the serial Asooya Pookkal. I was one of the leading ladies, with Anila Sreekumar and Reshmi Boban. My character was that of Rakhi, a young girl who stammers. I had no former experience in acting but Thampi sir guided me well. Post that, I was flooded with offers and did projects like Gandharvayamam, Angadi Pattu, Pavakoothu, Chandrodayam, Valayam, Oru Penninte Katha, Manjurukum Kalam and so on. Meanwhile, I completed BA Literature as a correspondence course as well.
Favourite serials and memories…It’s been 18 years since I debuted, though I took a break to get married and also during my pregnancy. My favourite works so far are Asooya Pookkal and Angadi Paattu. I only had a few dialogues in the latter, but it gave me a huge scope to explore various expressions.
I was blessed to act as goddess Parvathy in the serial, Swami Ayyappan. During that time I visited Guruvayoor temple with my family. I was stunned when an elderly woman turned to me with folded hands and started praying, instead of praying to Lord Guruvayoorappan! I felt quite proud as an artiste, at that point.
Up Next…I only have Brahmanam in my kitty at the moment, as I also want to devote time to take care of my baby daughter Malavika. Being a trained Bharatanatyam dancer, I do miss my chilanka (anklets) as well. When I see dancers performing on stage, I miss the art a lot more. I wish to find time to brush up my dancing skills too. I love to do films but it must be a meaty role for me and interesting for the audience too.
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