The happening actress
Samyukta Verma was chosen to replace talented actress Manju Warrier who quit films after her marriage. And was it a challenge for this new face who had to measure upto the expectations of being in the shoes of a brilliant performer ...

When reputed director Satyan Anthicaud of Malayalam films had to find an actress to replace Manju in his Veendum Chila Veettukaaryangal, it was no less a challenge. For Manju Warrier, who had quit films following her marriage with actor Dileep, had already established herself as one of the most versatile performers that Malayalam cinema had seen in the past few years. And to replace Manju, an almost equally talented actress, and that too a very young one, had to be found out. The character Bhavana, a strong- willed, bold, mature character was almost tailor-made for Manju. So the job too was no less than a real challenge. But Satyan Anthicaud did find someone, a new face. Thus Samyukta faced, for the first time, the arch lights as Bhavana and did the character in a really appreciable manner. And Malayalam cinema thus got an actress who was to stun the audience with her performances in some of her later films.

Samyukta, hailing from Thrissur, had never thought of becoming an actress though her aunt Urmila Unni is an accomplished actress. She had also learnt dancing, but had no plans to become a professional dancer either. It was while she was a student of Sree Kerala Verma College, Thrissur, that she got the offer to play the lead role in Veendum Chila Veettukaaryangal. When the film hit the theatres in 1999, the audience accepted the girl readily, so well did Samyuktha play the role, her first one on celluloid. Of course, people began predicting that this actress was very much likely to be typecast in such other roles in a few films before making an unceremonious exit. But hit-maker Joshi’s Vazhunnor, released in 1999 itself, proved these speculations wrong. This, Samyuktha’s second film, portrayed her in a character very different from that of her role in Veendum Chila Veettukaaryangal. The same year saw Samyukta in Chandran Udikkunna Dikkil by Lal Jose, in which she was one of the two heroines, the other being debutante Kavya Madhavan. And also in the cast was Biju Menon, who was her co-star in two of her later films in which Samyuktha gave scintillating performances.

The year 2000 might not have been very good for the actress if the box-office records of her films are to be taken into account. All the same 2000 would be a year that she would perhaps like to remember for two of her most noted characters - that of Bhadra in Mazha and of Priyamvada in Madhuranombarakaattu. Well, the year for Samyuktha began with Nadanpennum Naattupramaaniyum, in which director Rajasenan cast her opposite Jayaram. Though the film appealed very much to fans of Rajasenan films, it didn’t do good business at the box-office. And the next film was perhaps one of Samyuktha’s most ambitious ventures. She was cast for the first time opposite superstar Mohanlal in Fazil’s home production Life is Beautiful. The film bombed miserably. Director Mohan’s Angane Oru Avadhikaalaththu, in which the actress was cast opposite Sreenivasan, offered her an well-etched out role, which she did to perfection.

The second half of 2000 saw Samyukta stunning the audience with some real scintillating and sensitive performances in three of her films. The first was Mazha, noted director Lenin Rajendran’s film based on a short story by noted writer Madhavikutty. Starring opposite Biju Menon, Samyuktha won accolades as Bhadra, a young girl caught between two worlds - one full of romantic dreams, poetry and music, and the other replete with bitter and harsh realities.

Lost between these two worlds, Bhadra was indeed a well-etched out role for Samyuktha and she did full justice to it. Then came Kamal’s Madhuranombarakaattu, in which she was again cast opposite Biju Menon as Priyamvada, who feels that life for her is an unending war against fate which has nothing but sorrows in store for her. This again was a sensitive performance. Along with Madhuranombarakaattu released Swayamvarapanthal, directed by National award winning filmmaker Harikumar. As Priya opposite Jayaram, Samyuktha played well the role of an insane girl with a haunting past.


Though in 2000, Samyukta did really wonderful work with different roles, commercial success went on eluding her. Her films from Naadanpennum Naattupramaaniyum to Swayamvarapanthal were flops. But the year, and of course the century, ended on a promising note for this young actress, as far as the commercial aspect is concerned. Her last film in 2000, Rafi-Mecartin’s Thenkasipattanam, in which she plays one of the three heroines, is still doing well at the releasing centres and is almost a hit. Starring opposite Suresh Gopi, Samyuktha plays the role of Meenakshi, a character that is more on a lighter vein compared to her earlier characters. Meanwhile Samyuktha won some awards too, including the State Award, the Film Critics’ Award, The Lux Asianet Face-of-the-Year Award, Gulf Malayali Award and Kalavedi Award.
Well, if for Samyukta, 2000 started with a Rajasenan film, the same is going to be the case with her in 2001 too. For Samyuktha has been cast in Meghasandesham, Rajasenan’s horror movie with Suresh Gopi, newcomer Rajshri Nair and Abhirami too in the cast. Being one of the most promising new faces of Malayalam cinema, it is only too likely that the new year and the new century would prove fruitful to Samyuktha and bag her more roles - both meaningful and commercially successful ones.