Sparkling as ever
SHOBA NAIR
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Ambika, who is more seen on television, has an important role in the Malayalam soap, `Summer in America.'
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Ambika
Ambika is Aancy, a possessive mother in Shajiyem's `Summer In America,' a serial that is being telecast on Kairali Channel. For a change, it is different from the usual tearjerkers.
"I enjoyed working in this serial, which was shot in the United States. It gave me an opportunity to work with a number of new actors. Another role as a mother awaits me in Telugu too."
The slender, doe-eyed actor who was once the heartthrob of many viewers of Malayalam (and Tamil) cinema has aged, but gracefully.
Character role
Dwelling on the futility of grabbing roles, Ambika talked about her preferences. "I would like to do a character role in a film, one that will linger in the mind of the audience. Something on the lines of what Lakshmi did in `Mohiniattom,' or Sheela's role in `Vaazhve Mayam.' "
However, she adds that she is happy with the kind of characters she has enacted on the silver screen. A brief but fulfilling career that began with Crossbelt Mani's `Chottanikkara Amma.' She then essayed the heroine in `Seetha,' based on Mukundan's novel.
For a decade she gave impressive performances in films such as `Angaadi,' `Aniyatha Valaikal,' `Irupathaam Nootandu,' `Varna Kaazhakal,' `Kudumba Puranam,' `Pattana Pravesham' and many others.
She also made a mark in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada, opposite heroes like Sivaji Ganesan and his son, Prabhu, Sathya Raj, Kamal Haasan, N.T. Rama Rao, Raj Kumar, Anant Nag, Shankar Nag and so on. Her versatility is evident in the diverse roles that she has enacted, such as an advocate (a career she had wished for in her real life), a police officer, a pickpocket and so on. Her only regret is not accepting a role in `Sirai' (Tamil), which earned the Urvashi Award for Lakshmi. After a break from films in 1988, she came back with a good role in `Snehasindooram.'
Comparing the style of working in the Eighties and the present day, she says, "Advancement in film technology has made acting easier these days."
"I love my profession and often feel that my career as an actor is a divine gift," she avers.
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