Aishwarya Lekshmi on how Mayaanadhi helped her land roles in Mani Ratnam, Karthik Subbaraj films

Aishwarya Lekshmi is hogging much limelight these days for her performance in the Tamil film, Maaman, starring Soori. The Malayalam actress has been featuring in key roles in Tamil and Telugu films, helmed by the likes of Mani Ratnam and Karthik Subbaraj. Recently, Aishwarya Lekshmi revealed that it was her Malayalam film Mayaanadhi, starring Tovino Thomas, that paved the way for her entry into films by these celebrated Tamil filmmakers.

Aishwarya Lekshmi on landing Mani Ratnam, Karthik Subbaraj films

In a recent interview with Mathrubhumi, Aishwarya Lekshmi talked about playing strong roles in Tamil films such as Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan and Karthik Subbaraj’s Jagame Thandhiram. The Malayalam actress credited her film Mayaanadhi for this.

“Mayaanadhi really helped me. Karthik Subbaraj sir and Mani Ratnam sir both saw Mayaanadhi, and that’s how I got invited into their films,” the Kaanekkaane actress said.

In Ponniyin Selvan, Aishwarya Lekshmi played Poonguzhali alongside a star-studded ensemble cast led by Vikram, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Ravi Mohan, Karthi, Trisha Krishnan, and Jayaram, among many others. In Dhanush-starrer Jagame Thandhiram, she played the role of Attila. Aishwarya Lekshmi was especially noted for her performance as Poonguzhali.

Where to watch Mayaanadhi on OTT

Aashiq Abu has helmed Mayaanadhi, which is available for streaming on Sun NXT and OTTplay Premium. Tovino Thomas and Aishwarya Lekshmi play the lead roles in the 2017 Malayalam film. The Kala actor Tovino Thomas plays Maathan, who plans to flee the country after a crime is committed. But before he leaves, Maathan meets his former girlfriend Aparna, and tries to convince her to come along with him. Aparna or Appu aspires to be an actress, and does not give in to his requests. 

Aashiq Abu’s unique take on the relationship between Maathan and Appu is one of the highlights of the film. The highly engaging plot and the lead pair's onscreen chemistry and performances ensured that the film remained quite popular among fans. Shahabaz Aman’s soul-stirring ‘Mizhiyil Ninnum’ is also a fan-favourite track.