Mani Ratnam & GVM’s films are my romantic influences: Samyuktha Viswanathan

By Ankita Nair

CHENNAI: Actor Samyuktha Viswanathan, who created a loyal fan base with her role of Ahaana in Engga Hostel has carried her success forward with her role in the recently-released anthology Modern Love Chennai, which premieres on Amazon Prime Video.

Created by Thiagarajan Kumararaja, the six-part anthology delivers the falling of love in all its different flavours, but with a modern twist.

“We all were eagerly waiting for Modern Love Chennai to release for a while now, and it was worth the wait. I got to work with a talented bunch of cast and crew. The story brings a new progressive and open understanding of what love is in the modern era,” says Samyuktha.

The series touches upon different stories that are aesthetically thread and tied together through the eyes of Kumararaja and the soothing compositions by maestro Ilaiyaraaja, his son Yuvan Shankar Raja, National award-winning composer GV Prakash Kumar and Sean Roldan.

Samyuktha calls herself a hopeless romantic, influenced by the movies of the versatile director, Mani Ratnam, whose films she grew up watching. “The interesting thing is that I relate myself to Ritu Varma’s character of Mallika, who plays my elder sister in the episode. However, my own sister in real life, who is younger to me, is sensible, practical and street smart,” Samyuktha explains.

Each episode, which is 40-45 minutes long, illustrates a blend of captivating stories set in Chennai, exploring relationships, pushing boundaries and are heart-warming.

The actor, known for playing the lead in Engga Hostel, previously which was also released on OTT, had her in a different dimension from what she has played now.

She defines herself as a person, who loves accepting challenges as and when it comes. She is clear that she wants to be seen as a versatile actor, who can carry herself in playing different age groups with ease. Here, she is seen playing a teenager.

When asked as to how she feels about the industry typecasts, Samyuktha justifies, “I have had my foot on the OTT platform back-to-back, which is a great avenue for opportunity and growth. I don’t fear being typecast as just an OTT-worthy actor. Many people warned me not to play the lead’s sister as I would get typecast to those parts. However, I do believe that there is a lot more left for me to explore. I have grown up watching films in theatres, at a time when online viewing hardly existed. I would love to work in films as well.”

The talented actor, like many others, never knew she could make a mark for herself in the entertainment industry. She calls herself nerdy and geeky back at school. “I was into Ballet growing up and loved how it made me feel. An injury at the time that made me deviate my attention towards other opportunities, and then came acting. My family had no ties to the industry, yet they have been very supportive throughout,” she adds.

Talking about whom she admires the most, the actor states, “Working with Rajinikanth sir and Vikram sir has always been my dream. I used to grow up taking acting lessons from Vikram sir’s Anniyan (2005).” Samyuktha also dreams of being part of a Mani Ratnam and a Sanjay Leela Bhansali film someday, calling it a laughable ambition.

The actor will next be seen in a Tamil language show, playing one of the many characters, which is to release soon. She also has Jackson Durai 2, which was announced as a pan-Indian film by the makers, that aims to release later this year. Samyuktha will also be seen making her debut in the Telugu film industry shortly for which she is thrilled about.