I can play urban characters as well: Manochitra

Chennai: Southern actress Manochitra is making a come-back after two years in a new avatar and says she gave herself a makeover to convince fillmakers that she can play urban characters too.

A Tamilian from Kancheepuram, Manochitra, who rose to fame with her performance in debut Tamil drama `Aval Peyar Thamizharasi`, is keen to essay city-based characters. "Ever since I played a village belle in my debut, I have been only getting such offers and I declined most of them. I even decided to quit movies at one point because I was only looked at as someone capable of playing only rural characters," said the actress, fondly called Mano. "I have returned to acting after two years` break. I lost 13 kg and look presentable to convince that I can play urban characters as well. Thankfully, I play a city-bred character in my upcoming films, including the film with Ajith Kumar sir," she added. Impressed with Ajith`s humbleness, she says while shooting for yet-to-be-titled Tamil action-drama with him, she felt she was working with a family member. "I shot for 10 days with Ajith sir and rest of the crew. Since I was cast opposite a star, I was extremely nervous. But, everything changed after he started treating me as a family member. He was polite, humble and very down to earth," Mano told reporters. "I believe it`s very important to feel comfortable around your co-star and comfort comes only when the effort is taken by co-stars. It was just a matter of time before I started feeling extremely comfortable on the sets of the film," she added. She is not paired opposite Ajith in the film, but shares a few scenes with him. "I play one of the character roles with good screen space with Ajith sir. I have no issues playing a character role because working in the film will definitely boost my career," added the actress who is awaiting the release of her second Tamil movie `Netru Indru`. She has also forayed into Malayalam movies with `Pianist`, a musical love story. "I play a singer in it and I`m making efforts to get the mannerism of a singer right because it`s a very challenging role," she said. IANS