Rejected over 20 scripts post Mahanati: Keerthy Suresh

Chennai

It’s been 40 days since Keerthy made it to her home in Kerala. The actress is now busy promoting her film Penguin that will premiere on June 19 on Amazon Prime. “This is the longest time I have spent time with my entire family after my school days,” she begins. The actress was last seen in a straight Tamil film (Sarkar) in 2018. She says that she hasn’t shifted her focus away from Tamil films at all. “I have never had such a thought. I was only waiting for a good script because I wanted to do a good Tamil film after Mahanati as the National Award was a huge responsibility. I would have rejected over 20 scripts before I landed Penguin. It was intense and I liked the way director Eashwar Karthic narrated it. The narration went on for almost five hours and by the end of it, I told him that I will do the film,” she reveals.

The actress plays a pregnant woman in the film. “It is neither a dark subject nor a preachy film. It is an entertainer that will be an engrossing watch. I didn’t have any apprehension about playing a mature character as I play the role of a young mother in the film. It was my mom Menaka who was my go-to-person for the role. I asked her for suggestions on body language and mannerisms of women who are in the family way. However, it was completely my director’s guidance on how to go about the role. I trusted his vision and we completed the film in 35 days,” she adds.

The film was majorly shot in Kodaikanal where the actress fell ill for a couple of days in between. “It was cold and I was down with fever for a few days. We did the patchwork in Chennai, where I was clad in winter wear,” she laughs. Keerthy Suresh is known for her benevolence on the sets of the film she works in. “I had gifted silver coins to my crew when I worked in Rajini Murugan. Since Mahanati happened, I started gifting gold coins to unit members. If we don’t look after our team members, who else will?” she says.

Keerthy says that she has resumed practising violin during the lockdown period. “I used to do that during my school days. Now, I play with my pet dog and have been discussing a script with my sister. She is planning to direct the film that will be produced by my dad. My grandmom too has a role in it,” she concludes.