Monisha Blessy: Siva anna stressed the importance of consistent hard work

The hero’s sister has always been an ineradicable part of Tamil cinema. From being the quirky sidekick to being the emotional heartbeat of the story, we have seen many thangachis on-screen. Joining this list is Monisha Blessy, who plays Sivakarthikeyan’s sister in the upcoming Madonne Ashwin directorial, Maaveeran. Understanding the impact such a supporting role could have on the story, Monisha says, “I like to do supporting characters, especially ones that journey along with the story. Even if it is just one scene I want it to be something that leaves a strong imprint on the story.”

Monisha asserts that her role in Maaveeran is definitely one such.  “It is a subtle character but one that travels wonderfully along with the flow of the story. I am happy that it happens to be my big-screen debut,” says Monisha, who has been trying to get into the film industry since 2017. Having faced multiple auditions, she credits her relentless spirit for keeping her passion alive. “I have always wanted to act on the big screen. I wasn’t picky with the opportunities that I got, and I gave it my all every single time.” When she finally got her big break, it happened to be a huge production with a stellar star cast that included Sivakarthikeyan, Saritha, and Mysskin. While she confessed that it was intimidating at first, the warmth of her cast and crew helped ease her anxiety. ”Our director Ashwin anna took the time to explain everything to me. Everyone was a senior artist and it was a huge learning process. I don’t know if I would have learned this much in any other sets,” says Monisha.

Speaking in reverence about sharing screen with Saritha, Monisha profusely praises the former's professionalism. “Saritha Ma’am always used to share her experience with me. She told me how, back in the day, they had a lot of time constraints and how artists used to perform in single takes. Everybody on set was in awe of how fast she performed.”

The young actor, who is balancing her film career with a successful stint on the small screen with popular reality show, Cooku with Comali, received ample amounts of wisdom from Sivakarthikeyan, who also charted a similar path. “Siva anna always used to stress the importance of consistent hard work. After the third schedule of Maaveeran, I got an opportunity to get into the reality show Cooku With Comali. He told me that it was a very good opportunity and gave me the confidence to use it well. He told me to live in the moment and I've been following his advice ever since,” she signs off.