I dance and work out so that I can eat well: Actress Rima Kallingal

Just when we expect her to select a salad from the menu, Rima Kallingal picks pasta and pineapple juice, for lunch. "The mushroom pasta here is my favourite; it's perfectly creamy and balanced," says the 32 year-old actor as we settle into a plush sea-facing suite at the Brunton Boatyard in Fort Kochi for a photo shoot. Going by the punishing diet regimes that most silver screen actors are known to follow, a plate of Parmesan-topped pasta does come as a surprise. But then again, there's nothing stereotypical about Kallingal anyway, in her real or reel life.

"I dance and work out so that I can eat well. I love food, especially Malayali and Tamil delicacies," says the actor. Her childhood spent in different parts of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka has obviously influenced her palate. As a child growing up in Coonoor, where her father was posted on a government job, Kallingal developed a taste for ghee roast, curd rice, sambar and rasam, which continue to be her favourites. Trissur and Kochi inspired her to develop a taste for the Kerala delicacy beef fry with Malabar parotha. But if there's something that she can eat all day, it's fish. "It has to be on my plate everyday; I cannot do without seafood," she says.

REWIND

For an actor on the Malayalam silver screen, Kallingal has an "unconventional Malayali face". She was a young model in Bengaluru with no movie aspirations when filmmaker Shyamaprasad offered a role in Ritu. "It wasn't the usual romantic heroine role but I wanted to be a performing artist," she says. In her eight year-long movie career, Kallingal has done woman-centric films, "not-so-great roles", essayed characters with grey shades and spoken up on social issues. "I don't wish to be a crusader but I have a platform from where I can be heard by people. I speak up on matters close to my heart," she says.

So, when Kallingal tied the knot with filmmaker Ashiq Abu in 2013 in a simple civil ceremony, she shunned gala celebrations and gold jewellery and donated a large sum to the underprivileged. "Weddings are a massive industry and from the time a daughter is born, parents start saving for the wedding. I thought that same money can be used for better causes," she says. However, the only part of a wedding that she likes is the food, especially the sadhya, an elaborate traditional meal served on a banana leaf. "That's the only thing that can get me to a wedding. I can even gatecrash a wedding for the sadhya," she adds.

AN ACTOR'S PASSION

Her film roles, too, reflect the same spunk although Kallingal admits it was never a planned journey. In the 2012 hit film, 22 Female Kottayam, Kallingal won critical acclaim and the Kerala state government award for the best actress for her portrayal of a nurse who avenges her rape. In Ritu, she played a girl who cheats on her boyfriend. "It was the bold and beautiful phase of my career but I got stereotyped," she says, sifting through elegant cotton outfits designed by Kochi-based fashion brand Rouka laid out on the bed. What's on her wish list, we ask, a romantic film she replies instantly. "As a performer, I am always looking for new challenges," says Kallingal. In a simple show of walking the talk, she sportingly agrees to accessorise her outfit with a neckpiece made of fresh red chillies, effortlessly battling the pungency. "Spices are an inseparable part of Kerala. They make our cuisine so special," she adds.

FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD...

Fort Kochi's restaurants like Xandari Harbour and the Brunton Boatyard's History are a big draw for the self-confessed foodie, who enjoys experimenting with different cuisines. "Kerala is a melting pot of cultures. The influence of different cultures and the large number of tourists who come to Fort Kochi have given the restaurants here a distinct Continental slant," she says. But even as she enjoys new flavours, comfort food is homemade fish, curd rice, sambar and rasam.

Ask her if she enjoys cooking with the numerous spices that Kerala grows and Kallingal instantly confesses that she "prefers eating." She, however, carefully plans her meals for the day with her domestic staff, ensuring a mix of fish, meat and traditional Kerala delicacies. Breakfast in the Kallingal-Abu home, in Kochi, is typical Kerala fare-freshly steamed kuttu with a spicy kadala curry, or hot idli with stew and rasam. "Every day food is local Kerala cuisine. I eat a lot of fish, because it's so fresh and delicious here and also because it's very healthy," she says, as we watch the fishermen fold and drop their towering fishing nets into the sea.