I Learnt The Importance Of Commitment From Lalettan: Navya Nair

Navya Nair might be best known for playing sweet-natured women on screen but that doesn't mean she isn’t open to exploring characters with different shades. "I would like to play interesting dark characters like Ramya Krishnan in Padayappa," Navya says. "But I am a big comedy lover. So I dream of experimenting with humour through body language and dialogue. Janaki Jaane had some elements of it but I would love to do a full-length comedy role."

Navya took a break from films after her marriage in 2010 and has been quite selective in choosing scripts. While she would appear in around five films every year in the first half of her career, she has acted in only three Malayalam films this decade: Scene Onnu Nammude Veedu (2012), Oruthee (2022) and more recently, Janaki Jaane. Speaking about her thought process and approach to work in these two phases of her career in retrospect, Navya shares, "Even earlier, I tried to avoid films I was not interested in or working in situations I was not comfortable in as it was torturous for me. But still, there were instances when I had committed to a film and the scenario would be totally different after reaching the set. That said, I believe that if I have committed to a film, I am responsible to complete it according to the makers' vision."

Navya cites an interesting source of inspiration to sustain her commitment when things tend to go wrong in the filmmaking process right in front of her. "I learnt that from one of Lalettan’s (Mohanlal) old interviews where he said that whenever he realises the film is going out of hands in the shooting stage, he tries informing the makers but if they don’t understand, he just lets it be and ensures its completion. I’ve been in awe of his dedication and commitment many times. Even after all these years, he is just as curious as a first-timer. He asks questions, listens, and comes to practice on time. I keep trying to imbibe these qualities from these great artists." 

Navya believes that no actor can hit the bull's eye with every project of theirs because there are numerous factors influencing the filmmaking process. "Cinema is a combined effort and there are many limitations when it comes to judging a film beforehand. Especially in the Malayalam industry, we do not have the habit of locking the screenplay. Most of the time, all we have is a nutshell of the story based on which we decide to work on a film. This severely limits our judging capability. There are also times when a film like Romancham, which was sidelined multiple times by the industry, was welcomed with open arms by the audience. So I think it is almost impossible to always choose the right projects. All I try to do is be truthful to the character I am playing."