From winning the Kerala state award on debut as a child actor in Veruthe Oru Bharya, Niveda Thomas graduated to supporting roles, eventually playing the lead heroine last year in Malayalam film Romans.
Tamil film Naveena Saraswati Sabatham was next and with Money Ratnam in Malayalam this year, Thomas now has three films as solo heroine. She has just wrapped up Papanasam, the Tamil remake of Drishyam (the Mohanlal family drama), where she shares screen space with the legendary Kamal Haasan.
In Money Ratnam, out in the UAE on October 30, she plays Pia, a social worker. “Pia believes in doing things the right way despite challenges,” said Thomas. “She is engaged to Neil John Samuel, a sales executive. Pia and Neil are poles apart with regard to their personalities. Neil is impulsive while Pia likes to plan things. Pia is organising an event to raise funds for heart surgeries for less privileged children.”
Thomas has worked with Fahadh Faasil earlier in Chaappa Kurishu, but was not paired with him. As sales girl Nafiza, Thomas ensured viewers remembered her.
“Fahadh is one of the finest actors and it was great working with him,” added the student of architecture, who has juggled sets and classrooms since the age of eight.
Working with Kamal Haasan
Thomas had been offered the role eventually played by Ansiba Hassan in Drishyam, but she could not take it up. Papanasam, however, came as a surprise. “I remember coming home from college and my mother asking me: ‘Would you like to work with Kamal Haasan?’ I was completely taken aback. Who doesn’t?”
She plays Haasan’s daughter in Papanasam. “Kamal sir would be chilled on the sets. I remember the first day of the shoot. We were travelling by bus for a scene and I noticed him humming an old Malayalam song. Before I knew it, I also joined in. He is an encyclopedia when it comes to cinema. Observing him enact his scenes were learning lessons.”
Another film that she fondly treasures is Blessy’s Pranayam in Malayalam. Thomas played the younger avatar of Grace, a character portrayed by Jayaprada.
“A Blessy film was a dream come true, but the icing on the cake was a compliment from Jayaprada. She told me that I resembled her in her youth.”
Acting is something she cannot do without now, added Thomas, who is busy with two Telugu films. One is titled Juliet-Lover of an Idiot and directed by Ajay. She is paired opposite Naveen Chandra. The second film is a woman-centric story and not yet titled, she said.
