Child Actor Thanmaya Sol On Winning State Award, Love For Acting, And More

Thanmaya Sol, who acted in Vazhakku, was walking back home from school a few days ago. Little did she know that one of the best surprises of her life was waiting for her. The 13-year-old eighth grader had won the Kerala State Award under the Best Child Artist (Female) category.

Initially, Thanmaya thought it was a prank. She believed it only after seeing the news on the phone. "It took a few moments for me to process it. I knew the film was selected for the 53rd Kerala State Award, and I was in the nomination. I also thought it would be nice if I won the award, but I never expected that I would really win it. The moment felt surreal, and I’m so grateful for winning the award," said Thanmaya in an exclusive conversation with SheThePeople.

Thanmaya Sol On Acting In Short Films

Thanmaya’s father, Arun Sol, is an associate director and co-founder of the Videography company Sol Brothers. Her elder sister, Thamanna Sol, is an assistant director and has directed several short films. Thanmaya began acting at the age of nine. She appeared in her sister Thamanna’s short film, LunchBreak. Since then, she has been acting in many of her sister’s short films.

It was during the COVID-19 pandemic when Director Sanal Kumar Sasidaran saw Thanmaya and felt that she shared a strong resemblance to Kani Kasruti (the actor who played Thanmaya’s mother in Vazhaku). "The director felt I would be perfect to play her daughter, so he came home and asked if I would be interested in acting. As I have always been interested in acting, I said yes; we auditioned, and I got selected," said Thanmaya, recalling how her debut film Vazhakku happened.

Speaking about her film experience, Thanmaya said, "The movie was shot in 2021, and schools were closed at that time due to the pandemic. So I didn’t miss any classes. The 14-day shooting experience was an incredible learning curve for me. Although I have acted in quite a few short films, being a part of a feature film is drastically different. I completely credit my performance to Sanal Kumar Sasidaran because he guided me through every step, helped me rehearse, trained me, and made me feel comfortable. His guidance and training helped me win the Kerala State Award," exclaimed Thanmaya.

Experience, Challenges And Memorable Moments

When asked about the challenging part in the film, Thanmaya shared that she played a mute girl, so adapting to the character and body language was quite challenging. "The movie had a lot of single shots (one take would go on for 15–20 minutes) with no cuts in between. So, if I mess up, then everyone else has to do a retake. So I felt a huge responsibility on my shoulders to perform well. I had to be prepared and confident before every shot. Thankfully, with the director’s guidance, I managed to give a good performance," she said.

"I was everyone’s favourite in the set. Everyone adored me. They all made me feel comfortable, both before and behind the camera. Everyone has been very kind and patient with me. Even the people in the village were friendly and cooperative, which made it easy for me to perform," revealed Thanmaya. "I had a wonderful bond with all my co-stars: Tovino Thomas, Kani Kusruti, and Azees Nedumangad. They were very friendly and down-to-earth despite being such experienced actors. They helped me learn a lot, and this film has helped me evolve into a better actor," she added.

Explaining how it was to be a debut child artist among experienced actors, Thanmaya said, "Vazhakku, being my first movie, did make me anxious. I was on my nerves during the first three days of my shoot, but I soon got the hang of it. We used to rehearse before shooting, and my director helped me at every step along the way, and that’s how I made it."

Thanmaya went on to share her most memorable moment from the sets of Vazhakku. "There was this particular scene that was shot during heavy rain. Tovino Thomas was inside the well, and I was standing outside and peeking in at him. The camera first focuses on him and then pans to me. We had to say the dialogue for the 15-minute single-shot scene. It was extremely tricky because the scene was sync sounded (dialogues spoken on the spot instead of dubbing later). Unfortunately, that scene was cut, but it’s still my favourite scene from the film.

Aspirations And More

Talking about the kinds of roles she aspires to perform, Thanmaya revealed she is open to experimenting. "Playing the lead role or being a character artist doesn’t matter. I love acting, and I have just started learning about it. Cinema is an ocean, so it’s impossible to learn everything. So, focusing on learning and exploring as much as possible." 

Thanmaya added that she did not want to come across as an actor who plays only certain kinds of roles, become a versatile actor, and gain as much knowledge as possible from other actors' expertise. 

When asked if she had any future projects in the pipeline, Thanmaya disclosed that right now she is looking forward to hearing a script from a director. "I am eager to hear the script and hope things go well," she said.

Speaking about managing academics and her acting career, she said that she manages to compensate with some online and special classes. "I can handle both acting and academics. I do prioritise my academics, but I am also passionate about acting, so I find a balance," explained the Kerala State Award Winner.

Thanmaya concludingly said she was happy and grateful for winning the Kerala State Award for her Debut film. She also expressed her joy and pride in being a part of a film that won four state awards.

Suggested Reading: Vincy Aloshious To Devi Varma, Meet 7 Kerala State Award Winners