Female actors being respected and given space lately: Shali Nivekas

CHENNAI: Post the release of Sengalam, whenever actress Shali Nivekas goes out in public, she is addressed as Naachiyar by people and that is her success.

“In fact, the character of Naachiyar does not have a single dimension of Shali Nivekas to it. Leave alone people who saw Sengalam and do not know me well. Even my close friends, who watched the series, asked if I am a person who pretends to be a sweet person and has a Naachiyar in her subconscious,” she smiles.

Shali Nivekas as Naachiyar

Every character will create an impact on an actor instantly, when they listen to the outline of their role. What was Shali’s when she heard the character outline of Naachiyar from director SR Prabhakaran.

“Nothing. It is because I wasn’t told what the role is or what the series is all about. Everything was impromptu and the papers were given to me before the shot. Initially, I was sceptical as I didn’t know what I was being called for. Prabhakaran sir asked me to have faith in him and be a part of this. After being given the papers on the spot, I asked Prabhakaran sir what the scenario is and that is how I went by. I wanted to explore that as the process was organic and got more interesting as it kept rolling,” reveals the actress.

Beyond the preparation, Shali eventually fell in love with the character of Naachiyar. “She had different shades to her. She is wicked and she plots things really well. I was also given a background on Tamil Nadu’s politics to get further into the skin of the character. That is how I completely transformed into someone else,” she tells us.

Shali is already a household name with prior experience in TV shows and anchoring. However, she is grounded and says that she will continue to do what she has been doing.

“I always wanted to be an actor and television shows and anchoring were all stepping stones. Sengalam though is crucial, I see it as the next stage of my life and will continue to do all that I have been doing. The audience acceptance matters at the end of the day,” remarks Shali.

Shali feels that OTT has not only opened avenues but also bridged the gender gap in terms of well-written roles.

“Earlier, strong roles or massy dialogues in commercial films were written for male actors. The depth or character arch for a female actor was a once-in-a-blue moon affair. Of late, not only in cinema, female counterparts are being respected and are being given equally important roles, which is an encouraging scene. Work life has become more meaningful, which is appreciative. More writers should have this on their mind,” she says.

Talking about her upcoming projects, Shali says, “I have wrapped up a film already and it is titled Peranbum Perum Kobamum directed by Siva Prakash, a student of Balu Mahendra sir. Maestro Ilaiyaraaja is composing the music. What else could I ask for? The story revolves around honour killing. The other project is titled Kaagangal, which is directed by Anand Annamalai, an assistant of Kaaka Muttai Manikandan sir. The story of this movie revolves around five people and I play one of them,” she concludes.