May 23, 2012 Y. Sunitha Chowdhary
Lakshmi Menon's face exudes health, glow and a quiet confidence. The actor from Kottayam makes her debut in Rajesh Touchriver's film on human trafficking Prathyayam.
In a soft-spoken tone she avers, "In this story that had taken from real life, I play Padma, a victim and also an agent who attempts to trap a young girl and exploit her. Human trafficking is a disturbing truth and exists in our society, I have seen several cases in the colony I live, the recent being a girl who is just 16 and is abandoned on the street as she is suffering from HIV. I have done a lot of study before taking up this role, guess what, a shocking four million people are involved in trafficking in our country."
Lakshmi Menon says the psychological trauma is immense when one hears such stories, the person going through the abuse must be living in a hell. She says she is fortunate enough to be selected for such a role in her first film In Telugu and glamourous roles can wait. Lakshmi had done 6 films so far in Malayalam industry in a span of one and a half year and feels it is the right time for her to explore languages and subjects.
She adds, "There are several roles for a beginner and I feel it's wrong to categorise and limit ourselves to a particular genre so early in the career, the focus should be on gaining experience and whatever we do, we should do it with honesty." A friend had referred her to director Rajesh Touchriver and she was selected after an audition.
"I always wanted to be an actor but I resolved to finish my studies before pursuing my passion. I'm a graduate and looking to do Post Graduation soon. Many Malayalam actors have made it big in Andhra, I hope to join the list sometime," she concludes.
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