‘I’m a Malayali girl, I did Tamil films because...’: Mamitha Baiju
Actress Mamitha Baiju opened up about why she has been doing more Tamil films recently, saying she’s been getting stronger and more interesting roles there. Speaking while promoting her upcoming Tamil film Dude, which stars Pradeep Ranganathan, the actress shared that although she’s enjoying her time in Tamil cinema, her heart still belongs to Malayalam films.
Mamitha said that her recent choices have been shaped by the quality of roles offered to her.
“Even though I have done many films in Tamil, I am not as fluent in Tamil as I am in Malayalam. But I have learned a little. I learned to read and write it,” she said.
“I am not a Tamil girl; I am a Malayali girl. The films that came my way at that time were mostly in Tamil. That’s because the characters I got in Tamil were so varied. I listened to more scripts for Tamil films. I did them simply because they were very good roles. I have a greater desire to do Malayalam films.”
Mamitha added that working with Pradeep Ranganathan on Dude was a lovely experience.
“Collaborating on Pradeep Ranganathan’s film was like working with a friend. I was able to learn a lot from him,” she said with a smile.
The actress made it clear that she has always been treated well when working outside Kerala.
“I have never felt that actors are discriminated against when I go to act in films in other languages,” Mamitha said.
“The only difference I have ever felt is the food. On a Tamil set, it would be Tamil food, right? In the morning, it would be idli, dosa, and other Tamil snacks. I enjoy all of that very much and really like Tamil food.”
Mamitha shared that adjusting to Tamil took her some time but now feels natural.
“My crew, including everyone, speaks Tamil. Even my makeup artist and hairstylist are Tamilians. Only my assistant and I speak Malayalam,” she explained.
“Sometimes, even when the two of us are talking, Tamil slips in. We ask each other why we are speaking in Tamil. I faced language difficulties in the early days. I couldn’t understand some of the things they said. But gradually, it became okay.”
After the massive success of ‘Premalu’, Mamitha has become a familiar face in Tamil cinema too. She made her Tamil debut with ‘Rebel’ and is now gearing up for the release of ‘Dude’, which will hit theatres this Diwali.
She also has several exciting projects in hand, including Vijay’s ‘Jananayakan’ directed by H. Vinoth, ‘Irandu Vaanam’, and ‘Suriya 46’, directed by Venky Atluri.