Nikhila Vimal Interview: Por Thozhil was the first time someone narrated a script to me with background music

Nikhila Vimal made her debut as a child artist in 2009 with Sathyan Anthikkad’s Bhagyadevatha. Ever since then, the actress has gone on to establish herself as one of the most dependable actresses in present-day Malayalam cinema. With her recent success in Tamil, Por Thozhil, she has also managed to achieve a strong foothold there. In an exclusive chat with Pinkvilla, Nikhila opened up about simultaneously working in multiple languages, her stint with thriller films like Por Thozhl and Anjaam Pathiraa, and a whole lot more about herself. 

You had said that Vignesh Raja narrated the Por Thozhil script to you with background music. Since the narration was so interesting, did you decide then and there that you would do the film, or did you take time to say yes? 

I said yes later, but I knew I would do the movie at that point itself. It was so thrilling to hear a script with background music. That was the first time someone had narrated a script to me with background music. Also, the script was interesting, and it was intriguing with the background score. So I thought I'd do it, but I said yes later.

Is this the case with how you generally make your decisions? Do you say yes instantly, or do you take some time after the narration to say yes to a film?

Usually, I take some time after the narration because I need to see through the script. I read the script again after the narration. But with Por Thozhil, I didn't read the script. I instantly felt that I was going to do this movie. I decided to do this movie without reading the script because I find Vignesh very interesting. He had an idea of how he would shoot the movie. 

Vignesh said that doing a thriller film is particularly hard on the actors because of the night shoots, etc. As an actor who worked on Por Thozhil, what do you have to say about that? 

I wanted to do a Tamil movie because, for Malayalam movies, the schedule will be from morning 7 to 9. So the chart will be like that. I decided to do a movie in Tamil so that I could pack up by 6 o'clock and take some rest. But for this movie, we always started the shoot by 6 o'clock in the evening and finished it off by morning 6. It was literally tough and hard, but I enjoyed a lot shooting this movie. Also, it's not that the shoot was tiring, but it was hard because I go to sleep early. I sleep at 10 o'clock. Therefore, it was a little hard for me because it affected my sleep and my body. I was hospitalized twice. But it was a nice experience.

Will you say that Por Thozhil was the most challenging film that you had to shoot?

No, it's not like that. I have shot more than 10 movies with night shoots. Shooting for this movie specifically affected my sleep cycle because we shot for four or five days continuously at night. But it's not the hardest movie in my career.

You have already done a very successful thriller film in Malayalam, Anjaam Pathiraa. Even though you appeared in the film for one scene, how was that experience comparable to shooting Por Thozhil?

For Anjaam Pathiraa, I only shot for half a day, but the response to that movie was very great. That movie was also a thriller, but it didn't follow the same pattern. I only shot for half a day for Anjaam Pathiraa, and I almost shot for 15 days for Por Thozhil. So it's different.

You have a stable career in Malayalam cinema and a steadily rising career in Tamil. Do you make a conscious decision in terms of your career choices to simultaneously be visible in both languages?

No.  As I'm doing a lot of movies in Malayalam, I can be a little picky in Tamil. I only do films in Tamil that I really like. If I really want to be a part of it, then I do it. It's very difficult to balance both languages, but as I have a lot more opportunities in Malayalam, I decided to be choosy with the films I do in Tamil.

While you're shooting for a film, do you have any intuition that this is going to work or that it is not working as you had imagined? 

Probably for every movie we will get that. Especially for Por Thozhil, I got that feeling because Vignesh knows what he wants to shoot and what he wants to get from his actors. I had a strong feeling that this movie would be a hit or a critically acclaimed hit. 

Has it ever happened that when you're shooting for a film, you have an intuition, and the movie gets an entirely different response than what you had imagined when it releases?

It hasn’t happened to me. Most of the time, my intuition will be right. 

You said in an interview that it is very hard for you to accept that a film of yours is a success. Can you elaborate on that? 

It is just my perspective. It is because I can't take it in; it is not because the movie is not good. I started my career as a child artist, and I have been working for the last 15 years or something. For me, it has become a routine. Maybe it's my conscious choice to be grounded. I don't know. I can't explain it. For me, I know the movie is a hit, but I'm not taking it to my head. 

When you choose a script or pick a film to do, is there anything specific that you look for?

It depends sometimes on actors, sometimes on directors, sometimes on the script, and sometimes the people that I want to work with will call me for a movie. That's what happened with Anjaam Pathiraa. They were all people that I looked up to, so I wanted to work with them. That's why I did Anjaam Pathiraa. For Por Thozhil, I did the film for the script. I know the script is well written, and it's going to be something. I picked this movie even though I have a small role, but I thought that most people would watch it and see me in it. Otherwise, if I do a movie with a lengthy role and it's not working well in theaters, it doesn't work. I pick movies depending on what I want from them. 

When you did your first film, Bhagyadevatha, did you do that movie just for fun, as you were very young then, or even then, did you have this feeling of pursuing a serious career in acting?

 I did not do the film because it was fun. My parents wanted me to act in that movie. I got an opportunity, and my parents thought that it was a Sathyan Anthikkad movie, so I could do it. But I was not very aware of movies at that time; I was in 8th standard. Now, it's a serious career for me, but at that time, It was not that serious because I did the film with my studies. Now, it's not my part-time job. It's my full-time job.

Is there any director or actor from Tamil cinema whose work you admire and with whom you want to work?

There's a lot. I really like Karthik Subbaraj, Pa Ranjith, and Nalan Kumarasamy a lot. 

Many actors don't prefer to work on remakes of their films when they are made in other languages. If you get an opportunity to act in the remake of Por Thozhil in any other language, will you be up for it?  

No, I don't prefer making Por Thozhil in any other language because some movies have to be in a particular language. I picked Por Thozil because it's a Tamil movie. This may be a general or an Indian subject, but I don't think I can do it. I prefer it because it's a Tamil movie.

Has being a dancer helped or, at any level, impacted your acting?  

No. As a dancer, it has not. As an artist, it helped me because I don't have stage fright. That fear I do not have. That's the only thing that helped me. Other than that, nothing else.

What would be your dream role or genre in which you would want to work in the future?

I want to do a comedy film and a negative role. 

Finally, can you speak about your upcoming projects?

I'm currently working on some Malayalam movies. I am doing one movie with Nivin Pauly; it is called Thaaram. Also, a movie with Prithviraj called Guruvayoor Ambalanadayil. In Tamil, I have done a web series called Mathagam, which will release in August. 

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