‘I don't mind doing 100 films with Aashiq Abu’

Aishwarya Lekshmi has long stopped facing the camera as Appu, but she is yet to shed the character from her system. That, she says, is because Appu aka Aparna in Maayanadi is a complete woman. "Syam Puskaran has fleshed out the character so well. She is a girl in love, but then she is also a fighter. She has a totality and it was such a high playing her," she tells CE.

The actor, who made her debut opposite Nivin Pauly in Njandukalide Naatil Oridavela, terms Maayanadi, that will hit the screens on December 22, a journey. "It is a love story, and at the same time, there are many other elements. When it is an Aashiq Abu and Syam Puskaran film, there will definitely be many layers to the story," she adds.

She was selected for the project through auditions. "When I knew I was onboard, I didn't care what the script was. The fact that it was an Aashiq Abu film was more than enough. I had an inkling that it was a romance drama and asked Syam sir about the story because I was curious. I was bowled over when I read the script," she says.

For her, the whole process of shooting was effortless. "Tovino Thomas, who plays the lead Mathan, and I would sit with Aashiq Abu and Syam Puskaran, who would describe the scene to us and we would give it a take. If there was something missing, they would ask us to do it again. On some days we would shoot until 2.30 am and start again the next morning. But it all seemed so effortless because it was Aashiq sir. I don't mind doing 100 films with him. He is a brilliant director," she adds.

Though she had signed a Telugu film, Aishwarya opted out of it. "We shot for a while for this Telugu film, but that's when the Maayanadi schedule got extended. My plan was to do one project at a time. I didn't want it to clash with Maayanadi. So, I opted out of it," she says.

Offers are already coming in, but Aishwarya is waiting for Maayanadi to hit the screens. "I want to know the public response before I sign another project," she says.