'There are some things I may not be comfortable about. Explicit things and all that.'
There is a reason why Nithya Menen decided to do more "happy films".
As a selective actor, she has always chosen projects and characters that have intrigued and challenged her as an actor.
Despite the tough competition this year, winning the National Award for her role as Shobana opposite Dhanush in Thiruchitrambalam is a well-deserved honour.
But being an actor is no easy job, Nithya admits.
While she is aware of the demands of the visual medium, she refuses to "starve to look good" on camera.
"Anything that I have to deal with, including these lights (pointing at the equipment in the room), being in so many different places, eating so many different kinds of things, all of it affects my body very much," Nithya tells Divya Nair/Rediff.com, explaining how she prioritises her mental and physical health.
"My body reacts to all of those things a lot. When I go back (home), I take a lot of time off. Sometimes, I have taken one year, or two years off."
In the second part of a candid interaction, Nithya tells us about the importance of a healthy work-life balance.
How do you prepare yourself before a role? Is there a process that you follow?
I am a spontaneous actor.
For me, it's just very impulsive.
Sometimes even just before going into a film, I think, what am I gonna do?
I go there in my costume and everything.
I stand and see the scene and I start doing it and it just happens. It just comes out. It's very spontaneous.
I'm not a method actor, so I don't stay in the character and all that.
That's a bit torturous for me. The minute you say 'cut', I'm out.
I need to leave it behind.
When I'm back in the room, everything is finished and forgotten. I shower, I eat and sleep.
I don't isolate myself (to prepare for a role or a character).
A lot of people are curious to know what the real Nithya Menen is like.
It's very unusual for an actor to not subscribe to the expectations of the industry. Yet, how do you take care of yourself to stay fit and mentally happy?
I think you can see it, really! It shows (laughs).
Maybe it's because what I can, and what I am able to offer (to the project) goes way beyond that.
So it's not really my body that is really doing the work. It's something else that I'm able to offer.
I know it's a visual medium. I know the importance of being somewhat visually appealing, but it's not that I take it lightly.
But I take my health more seriously.
I do try to fix things, to get healthy and everything, but I do it in a healthy way.
It takes time and stuff.
I don't do it very harshly, starving myself, or overworking.
The physical thing is not as important. That I will do anything to get to that shape. But I will be healthy.
Given your hectic, sometimes erratic schedules, how do you prioritise your health?
Today there is a lot of buzz about workplace safety. How do you ensure that you are safe on the sets? Does someone accompany you?
You are making it sound like being on the set is like being in a war zone.
Forget about now, no one has ever kept me company since I was 19.
I think it's a bit exaggerated, and a bit of a misconception too.
There's nothing unsafe.
There are all kinds of people everywhere, right?
To make it look like film sets are a really scary place, (there's) nothing (like that).
Do you get nervous before performing a scene? Has it ever happened?
I don't think I've ever gotten nervous, in my life.
What about intimate scenes?
I don't do intimate (scenes).
These are some areas that you don't like.
There are some things I may not be comfortable about. Explicit things and all that.
And also, I think, (certain) things are not required.
I don't do those kind of films. I choose film-makers of a certain kind. They will not write things like that.
Lastly, what are your thoughts on marriage and relationships?
