She was just back from her temple visit when the call was made. Serial star Veena Nair, a known face for Malayalis, has made a detour from serials to movies. Known for reprising negative roles and humour roles with ease, Veena showed her talent yet again in an Onam release — Welcome to Central Jail, which has Dileep and Vedhika in the lead. The actor, who enacted the role of a khakhi-clad jailer who handles the cell of women inmates, has played a memorable part in the movie.
“I haven’t acted in many movies as my realm was mostly television serials. I landed the role of a jailer after an artiste backed out following date clash. The scriptwriter Benny P. Nayarambalam called me for the role and thankfully it worked out for me. Even for Vellimoonga, this was the case. Manju Pillai, who was the first choice for the role, had to back out due to clash in her dates. It turned out good as I could work along with a really good team,” says Veena.
The actress reveals that she was carrying while acting in Welcome to Central Jail. “Even though I was carrying for five months during the acting schedule, I was at ease as the entire team was extremely supportive including director Sundar Das and Dileep ettan. Dileep ettan even used to give me suggestions on how to make my part better, and was entirely supportive, probably why the output was better.”
Asking whether she likes cinema or serial better, Veena says, “I had anyway stopped committing for serials for the time being as it was clashing with movie schedules. Ultimately, cinema is my dream. Even if it is a small role, I want to give a memorable performance. I have just completed Kavi Udhesichathu in which I play the elder sister of Asif Ali’s character. It is more of a negative role, a sort of greedy person.” With her due date coming closer, the actress has taken a break from acting until next year. “Post delivery, I hope to come back to acting by April-May next year.”
