Nitham Oru Vaanam Has Been A Magical Experience: Ritu Varma

Ritu Varma, who was recently seen in debutant Ra Karthik’s charming travelogue Nitham Oru Vaanam, looks at the entire film’s journey as a magical experience. In a chat with Krishna, the actress revisits the places she travelled to, calling the production an ode to India.

Nitham Oru Vaanam follows the lives of Arjun (Ashok Selvan) and Subha (Ritu Varma), who set off on an adventure to Kolkata and Himachal Pradesh in an attempt to get closure about the intriguing stories of two couples. Even if all the travelling was exhausting, the actress considers the experience special. “Sometimes we’d start shooting early in the morning and it (filming) would go up to 24 hours. And we shot in some extremely cold climatic conditions (Rohtang La Pass). But now, it all feels good and the memories will remain special.”

Although she gets to explore different places through such films, Varma is yet to do a solo trip and is waiting for the opportunity. She says, “Growing up, I’ve been brought up in a very protective environment. So, most of my trips have been with family or friends. I’m waiting to do a solo trip. I feel like I want to come out of my comfort zone. But shooting for this film has been a huge experience. We keep saying that this film is like an ode to India because we shot across so many places. It’s been magical watching the script translate from a bound script to a film on the big screen.”

Speaking about the female characters in Nitham Oru Vaanam, she says that all the women had significant roles to essay. “The audience will, of course, travel through the journey of Ashok’s character, but I feel like the female characters (including the roles played by Aparna Balamurali and Shivathmika Rajashekar) are equally strong and empowering.”

Ritu has done her share of heartwarming entertainers such as Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithaal (2020) and Kanam (2022). But she doesn’t think she has found her comfort zone yet. “I don’t know what my comfort zone is. I feel like acting is not an easy job because you are playing a different character in every film and emoting emotions that you aren’t feeling at the moment. But I love challenges,” says Ritu.

The actress goes on to credit filmmakers for valuing her as an actor.  “Sometimes I can only choose from what I get but I feel so fortunate that I’m getting to be part of films like Nitham and Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithaal (2020). I’ve been extremely blessed to work with some amazing directors who’ve come to me wanting me to be part of their films. They approach me because they value me for the actor that I am. As an actor, I feel I just got lucky and I hope this continues. I want to be in films that make my audience feel something and I want them to take away something from the film,” the actress concludes.