Sri Lakshmi - from the knit-wear town to the arc lights

Chennai, Aug.12 (NR): 'Vannathupoochi,' the debut film of director Azhagappan, makes a point about nurturing children and their emotional needs. And driving home this message is 10-year-old, Sri Lakshmi with her spontaneous performance as Divya, a city bred girl bonding with her rustic grandfather.

Last Sunday, oblivious to the media and paparazzi, the child actor, accompanied by her parents and little brother, was in Chennai for the dubbing of a Malayalam documentary. That innocent and lovely face could not be mistaken. Sri Lakshmi was a delight to talk to.

Unny V.Nair, her father and a businessman from Tirupur says, "We have no background in cinema. It all began when our friend, Vijayan Nambiar, suggested that we get Sri Lakshmi's portfolio ready. That was in 2007. And on the fifth day of Onam that year, I remember well, I received a call from the director for a photo shoot in Chennai. Before we realized it, she was in the film."

Sri Lakshmi's parents are full of praise for the director who cajoled their daughter to give a good performance.

"Uncle never scolded me," says Sri Lakshmi, a class 5 student of St. Josephs Matriculation School, Tirupur.

"I enjoyed the song sequences most. I had no dialogues you see," smiles the cute one.

She is fond of Bala Singh, her thatha in the story. And the first time she watched a film on the big screen was her own film, Vannathupoochi.

A student of bharatanatyam, this child actor is working on a Bharatiraja film and a second film, a Shankar Production. She has just completed work on a Malayalam documentary, 'Makal,' directed by Revathy. Sri Lakshmi is certainly a face to watch out for. Click the Movie button below for more info: