OTTplay Awards 2022: Aishwarya Lekshmi: Kaanekkaane made me realise why I was doing what I was doing

The pandemic year was a tough one for everyone. That’s also why her award for Emerging OTT Star (Female) at the inaugural OTTplay Awards and Conclave in Mumbai on September 10 was sweeter for the Malayalam actress.

After accepting the award from Sarpatta Parambarai filmmaker Pa Ranjith, Aishwarya said that she is grateful for the honour that came for her performance in Kaanekkaane, which she referred to as “a very important film in my career”. “It’s the first movie that I did post pandemic. So, after being jobless for seven months, I got an opportunity to be back in front of the camera. I understood why I was acting in the first place. Taking up this role was very difficult for me and so, I would like to thank director Manu sir for forcing me to do this as I was more interested in the other female character,” said the actress.

Aishwarya was also part of Dhanush’s Jagame Thandhiram, which released directly on Netflix, and Richard Antony’s segment in Putham Pudhu Kaalai: Vidiyaadha anthology that is streaming on Amazon Prime Video. The actress thanked the makers of the movies too. “Richard Antony pushed me to an extent that I found a better actor and better person in me. Gargi was another movie that I co-produced. I loved that it came on Sony LIV, which is a platform that everyone says has the best content,” said the actress, who shared the trophy with Dushara Vijayan for her performance in director Manu Ashokan’s Kaanekkaane.

In an exclusive chat post the award win, the actress said both Kaanekkaane and Putham Pudhu Kaalai: Vidiyaadha had a major impact on her career. “As an actor, it was very difficult for us to get work during the pandemic. Theatrical releases were taking a backseat, and distributors and theatre exhibitors were facing problems. OTTs to an extent covered all of the losses and created space for better stories and films to be made. I am glad I could be part of that,” said the actress, who will next be seen in Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan.

Of late, she has picked characters that take control of their lives in spite of their dire situation. When asked her about that, Aishwarya said, “Somehow, I have gravitated towards characters who speaks their mind and make their own decisions, rather than wait for the society or people in their lives to do it for them. I am a person who believes in that. I am not someone who was brought up like that, so it was part of my self-development as I have seen people, who took control of their lives, have better outcome and I have just followed that.”

Aishwarya’s upcoming Telugu movie Ammu, which also has Naveen Chandran and Bobby Simha, will also be a direct-to-OTT release on Amazon Prime Video.