I’m tired of doing bold roles: Shwetha Menon

She has never been the quintessential Mollywood heroine and is often termed pioneer in many things daring, right from a young age. Marital bliss envelops her, but Shwetha Menon remains unstoppable and feisty both as an artiste and in real life. She talks her mind, and says she is tired of playing bold and grey-haired roles, nevertheless. The actress, whose film Rudrasimhasanam is expected to hit screens soon, speaks to Kochi Times about what excites her now, her family and more:
Tell us about your upcoming film Rudrasimhasanam
I play a naive thamburatti, who is manipulated by situations and takes a bold step to survive in the big bad world.It’s my fourth or fifth film with Suresh Gopi, with whom I have been acting since my school days. I thoroughly enjoyed working with him for Rudrasimhasanam and he kept pulling my legs for something or the other on the sets. Recalling the days together during our first movie Nakshatrakoodaram, he joked, “She was quite innocent back then, now she is canny.” I too find him quite mischievous and delightful to work with.
One of the episodes of your reality show, in which you’re shown begging on the streets of Thailand, did many rounds on the net recently…
It was my first time trying such a task and it was a great experience. I was not there as an artiste, but as a participant and attempted it in the spirit of the competition. My leg was broken after attempting a previous task, but that proved no hindrance. If a similar stunt was attempted in Kerala, I guess we would have heard many negative comments, but things were different abroad. People knew it was for a show and that we were shooting, and I made a lot of money too (laughs).
Have you turned a tad too selective with your film projects now?
Most scripts that come my way now have a bold connotation to them. I feel I have played enough of such characters. As an individual, there are other dimensions too to my personality that I can portray on the screen. I am naughty and brattish, full of fun and wit and am keen to try a hand at such roles. I always want to challenge myself as well, as an artiste. Now on, I want to play more of light-hearted characters. I took up the reality show to sprinkle a bit of variety into my work. I feel I am still a teenager and though there were many risks involved, this is why I said yes to the reality show as well. As of now, I am also devoting time to take care of my dad, who isn’t keeping well.
You often say your dad is your best ‘boyfriend’…
I am very close to my father, who has always been my best friend,and I call him my best ‘boyfriend’ (laughs). He is my oxygen… He has not been keeping well for the past few months but is recuperating, and I request everyone to pray for him. Seeing me, my daughter Sabaina is also learning that you should take care of your parents. The entire family is in Kochi now taking care of him.
Your social networking page recently had an update warning your fans against fake accounts. Were you too victimized by hackers?
That post in itself is fake! I am not active on online social networks and sadly, my profile has been hacked about 20 times so far. Many messaged me asking the truth about it and I have cleared the confusion with whoever got in touch with me. I’m clueless as to what should be done further.
I’m told that the one who operates the account now is pretty regular with conveying condolences, anniversary wishes and wishing for birthdays, while I’m quite bad at remembering all these dates, it's quite amusing. Nevertheless, it’s not the right image about me that gets conveyed through the page.
There were rumours about you being side-lined in the industry due to the involvement in the Peethambara Kurup controversy.
I haven't heard such a rumour yet and if it’s true, it’s quite sad. I was just reacting as a woman, not a celebrity. Nobody can change my destiny. I believe in karma and will accept its outcomes with my arms open.
Many in the industry have termed you as one of their best friends. How do you remain so popular?
I am not a judgmental or extremely social individual. Whenever I make a judgement, I stick to them as well. I am easy to understand, but have my own strict policies about friendship.
One of the pictures of your daughter Sabaina had gone viral recently and her cute expressions made many call her an artiste already…
The picture is from one of our recent trips to Sri Lanka. I guess she has the genes of performance active in her already and she loves singing decades old songs like Thamarakumbilallo Mamahridayam, from black and white films. She is 2 years and 9 months now, but knows her muthachan (grandfather) is unwell and takes initiative to give him medicines herself.