Bold, smart, witty and beautiful; that is Gauthami Nair for you. Maybe she hasn’t done umpteen flicks, but this young lady is already in the news for her lovely performances in ‘Second Show’ and ‘Diamond Necklace’. An NRI whose heart has always lied in the eternal greens of Alleppy, where she belongs to, Gauthami Nair is now one of the top rated actresses in Malayalam. Here is the tete a tete Kochivibe had with this sparkling actress.

You have acted with the most sought after actors and ‘bachelors’ of Malayalam cinema, Dulquar and Fahadh. How was your experience working with the biggies?

Both Fahadh and Dulquar are lovely people to work with. I learnt some worthwhile lessons working with them. They helped me, and I must say that they are professional and brilliant in what they do.

An NRI Malayali girl enters Malayalam cinema. Tell us about your entry into movies.

I was brought up in Kuwait. I did my schooling there, and have lived all my life in Kuwait. I never thought I would enter Malayalam cinema. It was sheer coincidence. My cousins had sent my photos for the auditions of Second Show. Srinath, director of the movie liked my photographs, and asked me to come for the auditions. And that is when I came to know about my photos being sent! I thought I should give it a try. And as fate has, I’am here…

Malayalam cinema is now experimenting much with female oriented characters. We see women being the primary subject in cinema.

That trend is laudable, isn’t it? Everyone is getting equal opportunities. Men and women can showcase their talents alike. Heroines in Malayalam cinema are talented, and have created their mark. I have noticed this trend in the 80’s and 70’s where umpteen movies have highlighted female protagonists. It has come back, and it is awesome!

Any actors who have influenced you?

Well, I don’t particularly have a role model. But I’ve always been inspired by Johny Depp, and loves the acting he portrays on-screen. He experiments a lot, and each time we can see him in different roles and totally different appearances. I’am a fan of Johny Depp!

Which are the movies you have taken up now?

Currently I haven’t taken up any. I’am reading scripts that come and I prefer taking up roles I would be comfortable working in. I need a good team to work with, and the script should be interesting. It must make me occupied, and should be a good banner. I have said yes to two scripts as of now.

Gauthami Nair is…

A totally crazy person! I’am spontaneous and adventurous. I love exploring. I make sure I try things at least once in a lifetime. I live everyday like I’am going to die tomorrow.

From Fahadh to Anoop Menon, there are quite a few bachelors in Malayalam industry. Whom would you date if given a chance?

Not anyone from the industry, for sure! Fahadh is a good friend, and we are not even close to dating. I have enough limelight on me now, and I prefer not bringing that to my relationships too.

Your performance in the song ‘Thottu Thottu’ from Diamond Necklace was widely acclaimed, and your performance in the song was cute.

A lot of people told me that. But I’ve never done anything for it. I was just being myself. I and Fahadh were not comfortable doing the ‘running around trees’, and maybe that was shown well on-screen. Thankfully, it didn’t turn out negative but people liked it!

A Message to Kochivibe readers…

Live life to the fullest, and do things that make you happy. It is not just about you, but your family and friends as well. So count their happiness too… Cheers.

Dulquar Salman is now the talk of tinsel town. After much speculations whether this star son would make it big in the industry, now we know Dulquar can definitely reach in par with ‘daddy’ someday. His acting skills have been lauded, and his screen-presence was approved by the Malayali audience. His debut movie ‘Second Show’ is wonderfully made according to film critics and Malayali cinema audience. And now we can say that, Dulquar Salman is here to stay!

Maybe he does not carry off the ‘angry young man’ image which was expected from this young superstar especially with the kind of role that was assigned to him in his debut movie. But he has made sure that his audience doesn’t get bored of him, not one bit. It has been just a few days (and not even a week!) since ‘Second Show’ has released, and Dulquar is already in the news for good reasons. Here is what Kochi youngsters think of Dulquar Salman, the budding superstar.

“I had very less expectations about this guy. Especially being Mammooty’s son, and so much of hype given, I thought he wouldn’t be up to the mark. But Dulquar was awesome in ‘Second Show’”, says Ashraf K., a resident of Kochi. “Dulquar needs to take more lessons on acting, but as a newcomer he has done a splendid job”, said Anand, an engineering student from Kochi. “The hype given to him is worth it. He is unique and good. And he has done quite a decent job as a newcomer”, added Anand.

I loved his performance. He needs to improve a bit when it comes to certain emotional scenes. He has the substance to become a hero, and we look forward for more from him. In a whole, Dulquar was awesome”, said Lakshmi, lecturer at Model Engineering College, Kochi. Dulquar seems to have captured the minds of men and women alike, and Malayali’s are waiting for more from this young superstar!