From an adorable child artist to a leading lady, Anikha Surendran has come a long way in the industry and is all of 20 years old. She was shooting ads even before she learnt to walk. From Baby Anikha to now being a lead star, she has captivated audiences with her adorable expressions and natural acting prowess. Her early roles left an indelible mark on viewers, who couldn’t help but fall in love with the cute and effervescent young star.
As she grew, so did her talent and ambitions. Anikha’s journey from a child artist to a lead film star showcases her dedication, hard work, and versatility. Each role she takes on highlights her ability to evolve and adapt with an unwavering spirit, proving that she is more than just a child prodigy. Her endearing bubbly personality continues to shine both on and off the screen with hard-hitting topics ranging from child abuse to teenage pregnancy and about Gen-Z love in today’s times in the most recent die-hard rom-com Nilavukku Enmel Ennadi Kobam.
- You started your career as a child artist. How has the transition to lead roles been for you?
I started modeling when I was eight months old. It started off with my brother doing a couple of ads and photo shoots and all. So one day my mom basically took me for a photoshoot for his work and the director there said she’s nice and he put me on the scene immediately. So that was like my first ad when I was not even a year old. From there I went on to do multiple ads as a kid. I was doing many baby photo shoots and from there a director saw me and that’s when I got my first film. My debut as a child artist was in 2010 with the film Kadha Thudarunnu. I then acted in Tamil films, like Yennai Arindhaal and Viswasam and the web series Queen.
I remember my first film pretty well. It was so much fun. It was more like a vacation for me. I was the youngest little kid on the set. Instead of going to school, I used to just chill on the movie set. I had a different story from my friends pretty much whose daily routine was going to school, coming back home, doing homework and stuff like that. So I remember it being all a lot of fun and just a lot of, you know, getting pampered. - What were some of the biggest challenges you faced while growing up in the film industry?
It was a slow and gradual process. I was a child artist and I wasn’t an overnight success. It became comfortable as time went on and we got the hang of the industry. - Looking back, is there a role that you feel shaped your career and the person that you are today?
I learnt and imbibed a lot during the sets of Bhaskar the Rascal with Mammootty Sir and Nayanthara chechi. Nayanthara was present on the sets with me and was very inspiring. I had to do a lot in that film in general, like sing and dance which I hadn’t done before. So all of that was quite new to me and I learnt a lot about carrying myself in a certain way, because that’s what I had seen her do. I also learnt how important it is to be punctual on set as she was always very punctual and disciplined. Nayanthara chechi is so graceful. I also learnt a lot of things about acting and movies. It was easy, breezy for me until then, as I was only about 11 years old that time. I used to show up on set and just do whatever I wanted, pretty much until then, but in that film, I had to rehearse and prepare my lines properly before doing anything. So that was that was quite different for me. Also, that age, is a very impressionable age for a growing up girl you know and you really take in everything in what you see. - When was the turning point from modeling to acting in your first movie? And were your parents were always supportive?
I acted in a movie called Kadha Thudarunnu with Jayaram and Mamta Mohandas. It was the first official film I did and I remember it pretty well. I had done an ad and the director Sathyan Anthikad saw me in that ad. At that time he needed like a fresh kid who can act and I suited the role.
My dad’s family loves acting and my dad’s dad wanted me to be an actor. My mom has always been fascinated with the film industry so she wanted me to be an actress. She knows more about films than I do. - You’ve worked across multiple film industries—Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu. How was your experience working in each of these industries?
Malayalam movie shoots are very fast-paced. Everything on the set, an entire film shoots can get over in the span of like 20 days. We shoot from morning to night, like the schedule will be from 6 am to 9.30 pm and it’s all super-fast. No more than five takes max and it’s just it’s a much smaller industry, production wise. So everything is very small and mainly saving money is very important. But they produce some of the most beautiful movies; none of it is like very grand. It’s all very simple and beautiful. Tamil movies would be a step above that. The production would be a little more chill and you don’t have to work 12 or 16 hours a day. I like the people here in Chennai. They’re very warm and welcoming and the talent here as well is spectacular. But again Telugu films are a completely different thing. There if you’re working with big stars, it’s very easy working on set because you pretty much have to show up at like 7 o’clock, and you can leave at 4 pm because that’s how it works. It’s a much, much larger industry. When you go there, you understand the difference in the amount of production costs that goes into Telugu versus making any other film. - Are there any dream roles or genres you’d love to explore in the future?
The character Nila that I’m playing in my current film Nilavuku Enmel Ennadi Kobam is something that I’ve always wanted to do. It is like a dreamy, romantic character that I’ve always wanted to play. - Do you want to tell us little more about the character in NEEK?
It’s a very simple subject about the confusion of Pavish’s character. His name is Prabhu in the film. He is stuck in between having feelings for his ex-girlfriend, while also trying to find somebody new. And I’m playing his ex-girlfriend. The story pretty much revolves around our affair. My character in this film is a very classy, soft character, but it’s very romanticised in a way which I think is very cute. - Who are the actors or filmmakers who have influenced or inspired you the most?
There are many directors I always look up to Gautham Vasudev Menon Sir. Mani Rathnam Sir will always be a huge inspiration. And when it comes to acting Nithya Menon is somebody that I really love and Nayanthara chechi obviously has been a big character inspiration in my life. - It has been 15 years since you made a debut, what is that one thing you learnt and unlearnt? Also, do you think being on the sets helps you learn more than going to an acting school?
I’ve learned a lot on the sets and I think I have still so much more to learn. I’m not saying acting school wouldn’t help as that’s a whole different skill. I respect theatre artists a lot because that’s very different from cinema. Through the whole play you have to be so good and sometimes you’re born naturally talented. Dhanush sir, for example, told me when he came into the industry, he did not know how to act, it’s something that he mastered over the years with experience and he did not go to an acting school. It’s purely because of the directors he worked with and whatever inputs he’s gotten from them. And I would say the same for myself as well. And to unlearn would be to become more choosy maybe. I have been taking things that have come my way left and right. But I feel it’s okay to be a little picky sometimes. I’ve always been picky, but now more than working with big people and big names, I want to do good scripts and good meaningful cinema. I want to work with good talented people. - Have you made any mistakes so far?
I have been working in the industry for a very long time and I would have chosen some wrong scripts along the way and worked with some wrong people. But that’s how you live and learn, right? Last year was a learning curve for me. I’ve learned that if you do something that you are not passionate about, that you don’t have your heart in it, it’s not going to work out. It’ll reflect no matter. You can’t take your audience for granted; you can’t fool them by thinking that you like it and are comfortable doing it, when you’re actually not. Because sooner or later people will find out, so you might as well not do the role. - So how do you prepare yourself emotionally for every role?
For NEEK I didn’t do any preparation. I came with a clean slate as Dhanush Sir told us to come with a clear mind. This is his process and he made everyone on the set do that. But that wouldn’t be the case when I was working with Gautham Sir or anybody else. Dhanush Sir gave us a background of what the scenario is but there was no major homework. It depends on person to person, so one can’t say which is better, going with a clean slate or preparing for the role. I’m used to preparing on a mental level with my earlier roles. In NEEK, we were working with a lot of newer actors.
- Have you taken any dancing lessons professionally?
I have been learning bharatanatyam and mohiniyattam for the past 10 years. - What kind of scripts excite you the most?
I want to play strong characters, like what I’m doing with NEEK which is relatable to an audience. That’s something that I’ve always been looking forward to. - How do you adapt to different languages? Malayalam is your mother tongue, how did you adapt to Tamil and Telugu?
I’ve sort of learned to speak Tamil but here and there I’m still making small mistakes, obviously, but I’m giving it a go and liking the language a lot. Speaking fluent Telugu has been very difficult for me. Infact, only after finishing an entire Telugu film, I got to a point where I could understand Telugu. Of course Malayalam is my mother tongue so I’m fluent with it. I’m not the best at learning languages, but I’m very good at learning dialogues by heart. - A lot of movies these days are women oriented. How is the film industry shaping women’s characters? Are there any women oriented roles you want to do in the future?
I’ve been listening to a lot of women’s centric characters but I don’t know how much the film industry has evolved because I’m still scared to do something out of the box that is woman centric. It’s a risk. You never know how it’s going to do at the box office. I’ve had discussions with colleagues on whether choosing a woman centric character is the right thing to do, because in general, that’s just how it is. That’s just the template of the film industry is right now. There would probably be that one woman centric film out of many that would be a big hit. So it’s a gamble. I hope that it grows more and directors are more open to it in the future. It is getting better from what it was 10 years back and the audience has been hugely accepting thanks to OTT platforms. But that fear of how it is going to do in the theaters and have a mass appeal is still very much out there. - Any special women centric roles you remember that have inspired you?
There’s a film in 2021 Malayalam called The Great Indian Kitchen. I think it is one of the best films I’ve watched. They remade the same film in Hindi adapting it to the north Indian culture with Sanya Malhotra, and she has also done such a phenomenal job in Mrs. That is something that’s inspirational and I like to do such meaningful cinema. - So when you’re not shooting, what do you like to do?
When I’m not shooting, I’m mostly with my friends all the time or alone watching a film or reading a good book. - Have your friends changed after your success or have they remained the same?
If your friends change after your success, then they’re not your real friends. I have a very small circle of friends who have been my friends from my childhood days. After getting into college, I’ve sort of made a new set of friends and most of my friends don’t really care about my films or anything in the glamour world that I do. I’ve picked such people accidentally, who don’t ask me about my shoots or which movie stars I’m doing working with. If I share something, they are excited for me, but I know that they don’t know anything about what big of a deal that is. - Do you still go to college?
Yes, I still go to college, and I’m very thankful to my college that has given me the support to take off for my movie schedules. I genuinely like to go to college and also spend time with my friends. I’m studying Mass Media Journalism and I’m in my second year. My mom has always told me, that it is important to complete your education. You never know how certain anybody’s film career is, there will be ups and downs and it could be shortlived. It’s always good to be on the safer side. I have had the best of professors and teachers. - Do you handle your social media, yourself, or do you have managers?
It’s a very personal thing to me so I handle it myself. I started my account on Instagram when I was like 12 and I was just posting random stuff. Also, I used to like engaging with my fans. There was a point where I used to spend a lot of time on it, but nowadays it’s almost become like a brain rot because of the excess of content on it. - What are your future goals professionally and personally?
Personally, I would like to get a little fitter. I keep getting sick often so I need to work on my immunity. Professionally, I want to work with a lot of good directors and talented actors.
Rapid-fire:
Tea or coffee?
Coffee.
Beach or mountains?
Beach.
Books or movies?
Movies.
Early morning or late night?
Late nights. I’m a night owl, full of energy after sunset when others are struggling to stay awake.
Gym or yoga?
Gym.
If not an actor, what career would you have pursued?
I would be an airhostess.
Your fitness routine?
I do try and go to the gym whenever I can. I’m working with a fitness instructor.
Any diet that you follow?
I eat anything I want. I don’t diet. My mom always says that after a certain age you won’t be able to eat many things so enjoy yourself now that you’re young.
Dream date?
Have good food, cuddle and watch a nice film at home.
Your idea of a perfect man?
My experience is from what I’m seeing in films, so somebody who is very respectful and nice, good looking and just everything a 20 year old dreams of.
Hobbies?
I would like to read a lot more.
Any misconceptions about the industry? What about casting couch?
Probably, most of what you hear is probably true.
A dream actor you’d love to work with?
Vijay Sir.
A superpower you’d love to have?
To teleport.
Dogs or cats?
Dogs.