'I feel totally excited about 22 Female Kottayam'

Rima Kallingal is receiving tremendous appreciation from all quarters for her role in the recently released 22 Female Kottayam where she plays a 22-year-old nurse from Kottayam.

Once typecast as the 'modern' girl, Rima has taken on a variety of roles of late, like her characters in City of God, Indian Rupee and Nidra.

In an exclusive interview, the actress talks about her character in 22 Female Kottayam and more. Excerpts:

How do you feel playing the lead in 22 Female Kottayam, which is a female-oriented movie?

I feel totally excited. Yes, it is a female oriented film. It is about the journey of Tessa Abraham, a young nurse from Kottayam.

She is just another Malayali Christian girl whose ambition in life is to be a nurse and find a job abroad. The changes in her life after she meets this guy and falls for him are what the story talks about.

Is it a big responsibility to do a film in which you play the lead?

Of course, it is a responsibility to a large extent. But it is different from being a superstar, who has to shoulder the whole responsibility of the film when people expect them to deliver.

Here, my responsibility is mainly towards the director. After a super-hit film like Salt N' Pepper, he had the guts to make a film like this and also cast me in it.

There are only a few characters and I happen to play the lead. So my responsibility towards director Aashiq Abu is really huge. Frankly, that scared me, as I was aware of the expectations that I had to live up to.

Did you have any reference points while doing the role?

I have read stories about girls who have gone through similar situations. Then there were many references to learn about reacting to certain situations, but as always I made sure that I didn't watch any of those DVDs.???

Even for Nidra, I hadn't seen the original version. I didn't want to be influenced by anything else. I have done the character by interacting with the scriptwriters and the director.

How do you feel about the change of image from playing a 'modern' girl to an ordinary one, especially after films like Indian Rupee and Nidra?

I had started feeling that I was getting typecast with the 'bold and beautiful' tag associated with me. I was trying to get out of it for some time now. May be filmmakers are waking up to the fact that I can do such roles as well (laughs).

Which one is tougher--to play a glamour doll like your character in Happy Husbands or to play serious roles?

Actually, I don't know which one is tougher, but I really enjoyed doing the serious ones. There is so much to explore and dive into as an actor.

But, then, it is also fun to act in the bubbly entertainers.

How much does it affect you as a person, when you play a character that goes through an intense emotional journey like the one in 22 Female Kottayam?

It does affect you as a person and I started feeling so, especially while doing City of God and also during Nidra earlier. My whole body language started changing but I have always enjoyed it.

 Which are your future projects?

Right now I am shooting for director Saji Surendran's Husbands in Goa. Then there is the film by Lal Jose and two more movies, about which I can't reveal the details right now.