Breaking barriers and redefining resilience, 'Pani' actor Abhinaya has become a shining star in Indian cinema. Debuting with the Tamil film 'Nadodigal' in 2009, her journey has been nothing short of extraordinary.

Despite being born with hearing and speech disabilities, she has worked alongside industry giants like Suriya and visionary directors such as AR Murugadoss. In this exclusive interview with Mathrubhumi English, Abhinaya shares insights into her career, her passion for acting, and how she refuses to let challenges stand in the way of her dreams.

Your performances have been widely praised for their nuance and emotional depth. What inspires you as an actor, and how do you prepare for your roles?

My elder brother is the one who would read scripts initially and decide whether I should do the movie or not. So, about preparation for any role, I will discuss it with the directors. They would tell me what I was supposed to do; they would narrate the whole scene. Mostly, the assistant directors would help me with the language.

I have worked in Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, and Bollywood movies. So the experience is really different in Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada. They would prefer loud expressions, but in Malayalam, it's really different now.

I still remember working on my first Malayalam movie; it was almost the same only, but nowadays in Malayalam, they prefer more natural and subtle acting. Also considering language, Malayalam is very difficult for me.

In ‘Pani,’ the assistant directors, Safar and Sandeep, were the ones who helped me to understand the language and by heart the dialogues. They helped me with the pronunciation and how I was supposed to do the lip sync so that it would be easy for the dubbing artist. And also, in performance, as I mentioned earlier, it is very different from other languages. Joju (George) Sir has really helped me to perform in this movie.

How has your vocal and hearing disability influenced your approach to acting and storytelling?

Being hearing impaired doesn't mean that it is a limitation to my talent. So, as every hearing person communicates through spoken language, we, people with hearing disabilities, have our sign language. 

Yes, I do agree that I have certain difficulty in understanding and learning new languages, but I always believe that if a person doesn't know a particular language, he would use some other language to communicate. The same goes here. As hearing impaired people, we don't use spoken language, but we have our sign language to communicate. Being an actor, yeah, I do face certain difficulties, but I don't believe they restrict me.

It takes time for me to learn full-length dialogues; it would take me two to three days. I would collect the script beforehand and prepare accordingly. My mother is the one who used to help me with all this. She was very fluent in Tamil and Telugu. So in both these languages, she would help me, but in Malyalam, as I told you earlier, my assistant directors will help me learn the language.

What do you believe is the most important aspect of an actor's craft, and how do you continue to develop and refine your skills?

In my childhood, I never dreamt of being a cine artist. My father was the one who was very interested in acting. So, during my two months of school vacations, I used to travel with him to different movie locations. Initially, I was not interested much. But slowly I began to get obsessed with movies. I used to watch all the movies. Then I would ask Appa about what's happening at the shooting locations, about the technical aspects, and all. Trisha was my favourite actress. I used to watch most of her performances and then would mimic those in front of the mirror.

Both my Appa and Amma have supported me a lot. They used to boost my confidence. I believe all that matters is the experience that you gain working with all different directors and also actors. Not only senior actors, but even debut artists can teach you many things. So, it's all about gaining those experiences and observing people in your life. That's how I learnt to polish my skills.

Your role in 'Pani' has received critical acclaim. Can you walk us through your experience working on that film, and what drew you to the project?

I would say it was because of Joju Sir. I am a huge fan of his acting, his expressions, his script choices, everything, and I really wanted to meet him in person. So, when he approached me with this movie, I was so excited and happy to be a part of it. When I read the script, I knew that this was a performance-orientated role. My decision to be a part of this movie was one of the best decisions.

Joju Sir and his team of assistant directors were very helpful. I would say it was more like a family. We had a good rapport with all the team members, whether the technical team or the actors. All my co-actors were really nice.

The role of Gauri in ‘Pani’ is a special one. I was extremely happy that I could perform this role. It is literally a comeback for me in the Malayalam industry.

You've had the opportunity to work with some notable directors and actors in the past. What was the most significant lesson or takeaway from those experiences?

Working with each director is a different experience. I still remember working with Samuthirakani Sir in my first movie, ‘Nadodigal;’ it was literally an encyclopaedia for me. Being a beginner, I have learnt all my first lessons from the sets of ‘Nadodigal.’

Working with each and every director, be it Murugadoss Sir, Joju Sir, or Samuthirakani Sir, each has given me different roles and a lot of experiences and lessons. They are all different in their own ways. I cannot just mention one experience, but everything I gained has helped me to become a better actor.

What was it like working with Joju on 'Pani'? Did you have any particularly memorable or challenging moments during filming?

First of all, as I mentioned earlier, the language was a challenging part for me. It was really hard because I didn’t even know the basics of Malayalam. It was really challenging for me to learn the language, understand it, and reciprocate the same.

The next challenging part was, of course, about the expressions. Gauri is a very calm and composed person. In order to portray the character, I needed to express myself in a very natural and subtle way, which I found to be a bit challenging. We had to take some retakes also to reach perfection. But during these tough times, it was Joju Sir and his team who really supported me and had my back. Everyone was so helpful and understanding.

You've also had the opportunity to work with Tamil superstar Suriya in the past. What was that experience like, and did you learn anything from him that has stuck with you?

I did ‘7 Aum Arivu’ with him back in 2011. I was super excited to act with Surya sir, even though it was a very short role. Though I could share the screen space with him only for a few minutes, it still was a great experience for me. I did the film at the very beginning of my career. I still believe it gave me very good recognition in the industry.

Two things that absolutely stand out about Suriya sir are that he is very professional and punctual.

How do you think working with actors like Joju George and Suriya has helped you grow or develop as an actor?

Working with legends like these gives you more and more lessons. These are not the lessons that can be told; you can only learn them by watching them perform their craft and then learn from their experiences. Working with them has a different aura. You get to learn how they perceive the characters. They are focused on what they want.

Other aspects that I love about them are their punctuality and the sincere efforts they put in for each and every character. I have huge respect for their work. They are hard-working, dedicated, and above all, they are really passionate about cinema.

What's next for you? Are there any upcoming projects or roles that you're particularly excited about?

A couple of movies are coming up. The shooting for a Tamil movie is slated to begin by the end of this month. Filming for a Telugu movie is also slated to begin in early February. I have another Telugu movie that is presently in the post-production phase. Other than these, I have a Malayalam and Kannada film each.