Nithya Menen shooting straight from the heart!

New entrant in showbiz Nithya Menen (and not Menon, she clarifies emphatically!) awed everyone with her peppermint performance in her Telugu debut Ala Modalaindi. She has already acted in several Malayalam films before embarking into Telugu, Tamil and Kannada. With a portfolio spanning the South industry, don’t be surprised if Mumbai beckons her in the future. That day hopefully isn’t too far away for this beautiful actress but surprisingly, her foray into acting was purely by chance and not by choice.

After graduating in Journalism, she wanted to learn cinematography but let go of it as her director Nandini convinced her that she was born to act. By the way, there is much more to this exuberant girl than just her acting. She has dubbed for the movie on her own and has sung a couple of numbers as well. Her songs Edo Anukunte and Ammammo Ammo in Ala Modalaindi have proved that Nithya’s not just about fresh looks and rich talent, but a honeyed voice too – Versatility at its best, we say! Next in line is Veppam (Tamil), 180 (Bilingual), Urumi and Violin (Malayalam), and Jogayya (Kannada). In the midst of all this, Vrinda Prasad shoots a quick-fire questionnaire at Nithya Menen.

You are one versatile talent, having sung 2 songs in the film as well. Comments...
I love singing, I always wanted to sing and not act! But then I guess I'm gifted with the best of both worlds.

National Award or Filmfare?
Neither! The soul of awards is going bad.

Arty offbeat movie or a Masala pot-boiler?
Offbeat movie for sure!

On comparisons with Soundarya…
Overwhelming, just overwhelming! I count myself lucky for that comparison.

Biggest Inspirations:
My experiences. Life itself has taught me a lot of valuable lessons.

What song would be the theme tune of your life right now?
Forever Imaginary by Vibrasphere (It's trance music)

What makes a man a hero?
He should have genuine respect for his fellow human beings, courage to face things in life and compassion for everything he does!

Your idea of a first date…
Keep talking away to glory, suddenly look at the time and say “Oh my God, is it 5am already?” Oh, and some wine shall do perfectly.

If you liked a guy, would you take the first step?
If I know that he reciprocates the same feelings I have, I don't mind taking the first step.

Early Mornings or Late Nights?
Definitely late nights! When I'm home, I sleep after breakfast and wake up in the afternoon. I'm usually up the whole night.

Any life-changing experiences...
I love myself more than anyone and it just happened that I fell in love and was caught off-guard. Things didn't work out and I learnt from the experience. That doesn't mean I won't fall in love again but I'll definitely be cautious. I believe wholeheartedly in that wonderful Hindi number – "Ye jo mohabbat hai, ye unkaa hain kaam". `

Sexy or Cool?
Cool

Cooking or take-away?
Take away

Flowers or Chocolates?
Chocolates (I don't like people plucking flowers)