Actor Mahima Nambiar delivered a hit with Mandaadi, released recently in both Tamil, and is now set to make her Telugu debut with Comrade Kalyan. Sree Vishnu plays the lead role in the film, directed by Janakiram Marella. Venkata Krishna and Sitha Krishna Karnati are producing the film, which is scheduled to hit the screens on October 9.
“Actually, I was supposed to make my Telugu debut long back, and it was also supposed to be with Sree Vishnu. We did the photoshoot and the shoot was supposed to begin, but then COVID happened, and everything was shut down. Once work resumed, the dynamics changed, and they chose another actor,” says Mahima, adding, “Director Janakiram called me after watching some of my previous Tamil and Malayalam films and narrated the story, which I liked. It has a lot of fun and entertainment, and I am confident that this is the best film to debut in Telugu.”
Talking about working with Sree Vishnu, Mahima says, “He is a spontaneous actor, and that is challenging for me. Sometimes, he improvises and changes the dialogues on the set, so it is very difficult to match his timing. I have to be very present and concentrate on what he is doing. Also, unlike me, he is an extrovert. He always made me comfortable on the sets. It is nice to work with spontaneous actors because it helps you grow as an actor."
Mahima started her career with a Tamil film and went on to become busy in Malayalam and Tamil cinema. She is now making her debut in Telugu and Kannada as well. “I don’t find much difference culturally because all South Indians are quite similar. My debut happened in Tamil, but I didn’t know the language at that time. After that, I learnt Tamil, and now I can read and write it. I made myself comfortable in languages other than my own. My mother is a teacher, and I was a studious student in school. So, learning languages came easily to me,” says Mahima, adding that Brochevarevarura is her favourite Sree Vishnu film.
Interestingly, Mahima signed both Mandaadi and Comrade Kalyan around the same time. “I planned my year in such a way that I wanted to do one film in each language. The four subjects are different, and the characters are also completely different. I never wanted to do typical heroine roles. If you look at my previous films, I have played a mother and characters with negative shades as well. I felt that I should challenge myself as an actor, and that is why I picked these roles,” says Mahima, who reveals that she plays a fun and mature character in Comrade Kalyan. “I play someone from Odisha, who is settled in Andhra. But most of my dialogues are in Telugu."
She is currently working on four films in four different languages, which can be challenging when it comes to getting into each character's mindset. “Malayalam is my native language, and Tamil is like my second language, so I don’t have any problem with them. When it comes to Telugu and Kannada at the same time, I don’t feel much difference between the two. Sometimes, I spoke Telugu there and Kannada here. So, I requested my director to send voice notes of my Telugu dialogues. I listen to them like music and work on the modulation. Otherwise, it can be a bit difficult,” she says.
When asked about the perception that Malayalam and Tamil films are more realistic while Telugu cinema is largely commercial, Mahima said Comrade Kalyan also has a realistic approach. “In Malayalam, I haven’t seen this kind of mass and entertainment or larger-than-life treatment as much. But cinema is a medium of entertainment, and it is meant to impress the audience. Telugu audiences love commercial films, but there are female-centric films too. Look at Anushka madam. She did a film like Arundhati, which had never been attempted in the same way in any other language. It is a top-notch heroine-centric film,” points out Mahima.
She added that if an actor wants to do such female-centric films, the audience should also support them by coming to theatres. “The heroine needs a particular aura and screen presence. If you are a star with that kind of presence, then those characters come to you,” she said.
When asked about her name, Mahima revealed that it is her screen name. “My real name is Gopika, and it was changed to Mahima. I did my first Tamil film, and Prabhu Solomon sir said that Gopika did not suit me, so he changed it to Mahima based on numerology. I added my surname to it. I had no idea that my name would be changed. It was my debut film, everything was new to me, and I just said okay,” says the actor, who is now busy across all four South Indian industries and often has to travel from one city to another. “Travelling is not a problem for me. I still live in Kasaragod, and not in a big city. I travel from my hometown to Kochi for film shoots, even when I work in Malayalam. So, travelling isn't a new thing. If I worked in the North, there might be some cultural differences, but till now, I haven’t felt any difference in the South.”
Explaining why she prefers living in Kasaragod, Mahima says, “I am not comfortable with too much interaction, and I am very happy with my own space and my pets.” Apart from her hometown, Mahima says she is particularly close to Chennai. “I have spent more time in Chennai, and it is very close to me because I have done more Tamil films than films in any other language.”
Mahima also made it clear that she does not want to restrict herself to a particular genre. “I am willing to explore all kinds of roles and not limit myself to one particular genre,” signs off, Mahima.
