Nayan makes it a point to be on time for shoots: Actress Smruthi Venkat

Smruthi Venkat who was last seen in Arun Vijay’s Thadam is looking forward to Nayanthara’s Mookuthi Amman, a Deepavali release. “I would have liked to watch my Deepavali release in a theatre but COVID had other ideas. I will be watching it on Disney + Hotstar and that is also a way of taking movie to the audience. Had you asked them five years ago, people down south hardly knew what an OTT platform was. Today, everyone has access to it and is a part of it. Mookuthi Amman being a family entertainer will be a perfect watch for this Deepavali,” she says. Once a fangirl of RJ Balaji is now a part of his directorial. “I love his show. He is still the same fun person. Usually, directors plunge into the film completely when they are on the sets. However, Balaji is chilled out because he plans things so well,” she tells us. The actress says that sharing screen space with Nayanthara helped her learn a few nuances of the trade. “She is a perfectionist. She delivers what the role requires and there is a reason why she is a Superstar. She is punctual and there hasn’t been a single day where she was late. Also, whenever there is a change of costumes, she does it quickly. These are some things I learnt from her. After seeing her emote for a scene, I would realise there were so many ways that one could enact the same scene and improvise,” adds Smruthi.

The actress, who also has Theerpugal Virkapadum with Sathyaraj ready for release says, “My role in Mookuthi Amman may not be as big as Theerpugal Virkapadum. But the experience was the same. In front of the camera, it is not about acting always. It is also about reacting. This is what I learnt from both these films.” There were reports that the unit of Mookuthi Amman unit turned vegetarian until the wrap of the shoot. Smruthi says, “Not only the cast, the entire unit including the lightmen turned vegetarians. This film was done with a lot of passion and positivity.”