From Medicine to Movies

Aishwarya Lekshmi once thought she would make just one film and return to medicine. Nearly a decade later, the actor has built a successful career across Malayalam and Tamil cinema — and is now gearing up for her Bollywood debut.

The 35-year-old recalls that her 2017 Tamil debut, Njandukalude Nattil Oridavela, was initially something she wanted to experience before returning to medicine and the life she had planned. But that one film changed the trajectory of her career.

“My parents are very orthodox, and they were not okay with their only daughter going into films and leaving medicine. So initially, when I started out in films, that was the intention: let me just do one film and go back to my profession. But that film made all the difference. Basically, because I felt like I didn’t do a good job, and I felt like I didn’t know dubbing. I heard a few people say that I was not a good actor, and how I didn’t know the craft. Then it became a point to prove. I had to make sure that I was a good actor and was doing everything right, and it all changed with the Malayalam film Mayaanadhi.”

What began as a challenge to prove herself soon turned into a successful acting career. Nearly a decade later, with several acclaimed films including Ponniyin Selvan, Ammu, Kumari, Gatta Kusthi and Maaman, Aishwarya has made her web series debut with Netflix’s Tamil original #Love. She plays Tara, a pragmatic entrepreneur, who believes compatibility is the foundation of a relationship. “I have now added compatibility as a key component in my bucket list of what I seek in a relationship. I have borrowed my character’s idea of love,” she says.

On why she chose life away from social mediass

There is perhaps a similar pragmatism in the way she approaches her own life. Aishwarya consciously stepped away from social media a year ago, choosing to keep her life away from the constant noise of the digital world. “I’m happy with my life as it is right now, so much at peace than I was while I was on social media. I do see the things which were the reason why I made the decision to get out of social media still prevail in certain quantities. But at least I’m not there always watching it and getting affected by things like that, but I’m generally in a better place in life,” she says. Instead, she finds her grounding in her work — particularly in characters that have agency.

When it comes to women carving their own space in the industry, she looks up to one actor in particular: Nayanthara. “I mean, there’s a lot that can change in the industry as it exists today, but it won’t happen over one conversation. I feel like Nayanthara has made way for a lot of business for female actors because she paved the way for stories centred around female characters. At least when I was growing up, I saw her as someone who chose different paths to become the superstar that she is. I somehow equate her with power. Every time I see her, I feel that power, and I gravitate towards it. She took her time getting there, and that doesn’t happen from day one. I feel that, through the work she does, whether it is loud or a little more subtle, she is doing what she wants to do. I want to reach there.”

And now, Aishwarya is looking to take that journey a step further with her Bollywood debut. While she is keeping details of the project under wraps for now, the actor says the role could be one of the biggest of her career.

Highlight: My parents are very orthodox, and they were not okay with their only daughter going into films and leaving medicine. So initially, when I started out in films, the intention was: let me just do one film and go back to my profession. But that film made all the diffesrence. I heard a few people say that I was not a good actor and that I didn’t know the craft. Then it became a point to prove.”