Actor Samyuktha Viswanathan’s Instagram bio reads, "Every overnight success is 10 years in the making." The actor might have found her spot under the limelight with Sai Abhyankkar’s ‘Katchi Sera’ video, but true to her bio, her overnight success was also years in the making. A trained ballet dancer, a theatre actor, and a student of Performance Studies at New York University, Samyuktha's journey has been building towards this 'overnight' success. Recently, she played a starring role in Double Occupancy, her maiden full-length feature film in Tamil. In this exclusive conversation, she opens up about this journey, dealing with the fame and hate that came with the success of ‘Katchi Sera’, working with Dulquer Salmaan and Mysskin on Nahas Hidayath’s I’m Game, and more.
Excerpts:
What is it like to be an actor in today's times?
I remember telling my mother that I thought this career would be 80-90 per cent acting and 10-20 per cent other things. But in reality, acting accounted for only 60 per cent. The rest is all about promotions, staying relevant, networking, etc. See, things are changing now. Until a couple of years back, when I was auditioning at multiple places throughout the country, a common piece of feedback I got was that I needed to have more social media following and more relevance.
Double Occupancy had a largely young team... How was the experience?
Working with this team was fun, but detachment became hard. I remember my friends saying that it was okay to be attached to your character while making the film, but beyond that I should be able to detach after it is done. But leading up to the film’s release, when I should have detached, I was constantly thinking of ways to promote the film, and was asking the team, ‘Should we make some reels? Is this idea good? Shall I go do an interview?’ While it was a lot of chaos, it was fun.
But you were able to see the fruits of those efforts, right?
I have sat and cried for lots of films. So, when people came to me and told me that the film was very emotional, I was satisfied, as it was a full-circle moment. I get deeply affected by films. I remember crying for Alaipayuthey (2000), which was the first film I saw. Films like Ghajini (2005) gave me a fever. When I watched Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa (2010), I refused to get up from my seat because I was sobbing that Karthik and Jessie didn’t end up together. So, when I watched these films, I decided I wanted to make people experience a range of emotions in the theatre.
When you worked with Gautham Vasudev Menon, were you able to tell him about your Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa (2010) heartbreak?
Two people with whom I have always wished to work are Mani Ratnam and Gautham Vasudev Menon. So, when I met Gautham sir, I told him everything that I had wanted to. I opened my heart to him about wanting to work with him, my heartbreak in Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa (2010), about Vaaranam Aayiram (2010), about meeting him when I was a kid, because they were shooting near where I lived. I worked with him on a couple of ads, but I recall that hunger in wanting to work with him on a film. He felt so bad about me not working with him, because I kept badgering him with my wish.
Before you were an actor, you were a ballet dancer. How did you start in that art form?
I started to learn ballet when I was in fourth standard. My mother and grandfather were the ones who encouraged me to take up ballet. I guess my mother wanted to dance when she was little, and when I was a child she had watched ballet somewhere and wanted me to learn that style. But it has since become my first love.
When I started my tenth standard, I became the principal dancer at the Russian Cultural Centre. But unfortunately, I had to stop for my 12th standard exams. When I came back, on my first day I got injured doing a regular side step. Two ligaments tore, and I suffered a minor fracture. When I went back to practice after a year, I ended up getting injured again while practicing for an ad. Even with surgery and basic rehab, I couldn’t get back the confidence needed to get back into ballet. But I still have to thank ballet, because it gave me my identity.
But going from ballet to acting is a stark change...
After studying at the NYU Tisch School of the Arts and then attending Michael Howard Studios’ Acting Conservatory, I returned to Chennai during the COVID-19 pandemic and was very confident that my studies would help me secure opportunities. But very few considered it, and even fewer took it seriously. The only thing that matters is the relevance of how long you are in the industry. I remember thinking that I should have made TikToks instead of wasting my time, as that would have given me relevance.
But in time you got your breakthrough with ‘Katchi Sera’…
My first reaction was shock. I remember realising that the song would become a hit as soon as I heard it. I also remember telling Sai (Abhyankkar) it was going to work, for sure. But the thought that the song would become a phenomenon and that I would get recognised for it, never crossed my mind. So when the result of ten years of work hit me, I thought I would be ready. Instead, I was overwhelmed by shock, happiness, and an extreme sense of euphoria.
While a lot of love came my way, a lot of hate and trolls came too. While I was able to ignore a lot of them, the comment that hurt me the most was: “Just by performing a couple of simple steps, people like her are becoming famous.” While I did respond to that politely, it did affect me. While there are a lot of comments I can ignore, comments about my work keep me up at night.
Up next, you are also making your Malayalam debut with I’m Game. How did that opportunity come about?
Nahas sir had also seen my work in a short film, and had wanted to work with me on RDX (2023). But this opportunity had come up alongside 'Katchi Sera', and people thought I looked too Western for this role. But Nahas sir had complete faith in me, and after seeing my performance, the team warmed up to the idea. In fact, Dulquer Salmaan sir was the first one to understand the faith Nahas sir had in me, because he was the first one to compliment me after seeing me perform.
Mysskin is also part of I’m Game, how was the experience of working with him?
He is an effortlessly funny person. But he is also very well read. Once, in between shots, I saw him reading a thick book, which I realised was about the theory of music. I learnt a lot about his efforts and his intelligence, with the preparation he took for judging a singing reality show.
Could you share some insights about your upcoming projects?
Now I’m Game is coming up, then it is Mr Bhaarath and Texas Tiger. I have also done a Tamil short film called Thottal Poo Malarum, which was an official selection at the New York Indian Film Festival, and is about hymenoplasty, which I couldn’t believe was a real procedure. I am also working on a rom-com in Telugu.
With Double Occupancy, I wanted to move away from the labels that actresses are usually given. While my character adds a glam quotient, she has a lot of layers. I do want to act with every ounce of my creativity and use everything I learnt about it, but I realised that it won’t work now. No one is going to see or fully appreciate that. So, I am taking my time with it, even if I don’t want to, because over the years I have learnt that people need to remember your face before they learn everything else about you. But I want to move away from that process. I want to be as creative as I can be. I just want to act. I believe the media can change people, and that creativity can bring about change.
