Films I watched as a kid influence my script selection: Swagatha Krishnan

She will be seen playing the lead in the film directed by Dhamayanthi and produced by Jesu Sundaramaran’s J Studios. The musician-actor had recently posted pictures from the film on her social media page. “I was approached for films before the lockdown and had to refuse them as I had no such intentions back then. I believe in doing things the right way before taking them up. Hence, the lockdown came across as a blessing in disguise. I like to read a lot, which has helped in having an eye for good scripts, Another interesting is that we never had a television in our house when we grew up. That was a deliberate decision made by our parents. Meanwhile, we weren’t deprived of good world cinema. He used to handpick Oscar-winning movies like Schindler’s List and Stephen Spielberg films. Those movies influenced me in choosing good scripts,” she begins. Swagatha had signed a couple of films before Kaayal happened. “The pre-production work of those films was underway but couldn’t shoot due to restrictions. So, Kaayal happened first. For this I didn’t have to prepare much as the character is an extension of my real life,” the musician-actor tells us and explains how it could be one of the reasons for her to have refused a few roles earlier. “Born and raised in Madurai, I see myself as a girl next door material and not your regular pageants who foray into acting. I don’t consider myself as a magazine cover girl. I have my own flaws when it comes to beauty and fashion. I am glad that content nowadays is being written for everyone and isn’t as clichéd as it used to be before. Directors and writers are penning scripts with conviction. I like it how Aishwarya Rajesh and Sai Pallavi choose their scripts. I would like to do films the way they do it. Moreover, I am critical of films I watch and I won’t be easily impressed with content until I find it convincing. That is how I would be choosing my characters as well,” she opens up.

Having said that Swagatha said that she has never said ‘no’ to a song in her career so far. “I have never refused a single song ever. Films are different where I have picked one among many I have read but I never say no when approaches me for a song,” she reveals. It was concerts and school-day stage plays that helped her to break the shell of camera consciousness. “I was into theatre when I was in school and lost touch ever since I joined college. However, performing on stage made me overcome camera fear,” she remarks. Her younger sibling Maya Krishnan is an actor, theatre artist, and gymnast. Ask if creativity runs in the family, Swagatha replies, “We are four siblings at home and each of us have resorted to art. Our eldest sibling paints well and the second eldest is an athlete. Maya and I have been inclined towards arts since childhood. Thanks to our dad. He is a good singer though he hasn’t practiced singing. Our parents ensured that we study and play every day before we end our day.” Talking about her upcoming projects, she says, “All I can say is they are all different from one another and are written in a way where I would fit the bill.”