Santhy Balachandran: 'Women Writers Bring Sensitivity, Authenticity On-Screen'

Actor Santhy Balachandran has undoubtedly become a household name after playing the role of Niveditha in Sweet Kaaram Coffee. The series is a light-hearted, feel-good family drama following the lives of three women of different generations embarking on a road trip to escape the reality of life.

In an exclusive chat with SheThePeople, the anthropology graduate from Oxford University revealed she was on a break when she auditioned for a play called The Lover written by Harold Pinter. She landed the part, and it was during the process that she realised that she enjoyed the process of creative collaboration.

Santhy Balachandran Interview

"I’ve always been interested in the arts, but academics usually won out. After this play, I started getting calls for auditions from casting companies, and that’s how I landed my first film, Tharangam, in 2017."

Even though Tharangam was released first, Santhy also simultaneously worked on an independent film, Randuper, which premiered in the competition category of the International Film Festival of Kerala in 2017. And with one thing leading to another, that’s how Santhy’s film career began.

Santhy explained that her journey from Tharangam to Sweet Kaaram Coffee has been very fulfilling as she got to play very diverse characters. Before Sweet Kaaram Coffee, Santhy made her Bollywood debut in Gulmohar, where she worked with legendary actors like Sharmila Tagore, Simran Bagga, and Manoj Bajpayee. "It was one of the best sets I’ve worked on!" recalls Santhy.

On Sweet Kaaram Coffee

Recollecting how she landed the role of Nivi in Sweet Kaaram Coffee, she said, "One of the assistant directors called and told me that they were making a web series featuring Lakshmi ma’am and Madhoo ma’am and asked if I would be interested in playing the third lead, and of course, I jumped at the opportunity." Santhy exclaimed that getting the opportunity to be a part of such a high-production-value project with a stellar team led by Reshma Ghatala, Bejoy Nambiar, Krishna Marimuthu, Swathi Raghuraman, Eka Lakhani, Sharmista Roy, and Govind Vasantha was like receiving a gift.

The experience of filming Sweet Kaaram Coffee, which was directed by three different directors, was both challenging and exciting for Santhy. "It was a completely new experience to adapt to three different filmmakers, and their unique working styles. There was also the showrunner Reshma Ghatala who had a handle on the overarching vision. So, there was consistency in terms of the characters, who they were, and how they would react to things, but the shooting process differed from set to set."

Santhy revealed that she has never been into sports, so playing cricket was a bit challenging for her. She shared that Vinithra Madhava Menon, who is one of the writers whose concept the show is based on and also a state-level Tamil Nadu cricketer herself, taught her the basics and helped her deliver an authentic performance.

About Working With Legendary Actors

On being asked to share her experience working with two legendary actors, Lakshmi and Madhoo, Santhy explained that it was very rewarding to work with such talented women. "Both of them really took me under their wing and made me feel very comfortable around them. The chemistry among the three of us, which is being complimented a lot, developed very organically. There was genuine warmth and fondness towards each other, and we had a great time on set," recalled Santhy.

Santhy also expressed her delight in getting to play a character in a long-format show. "I was very happy because I got to travel with Nivi for a longer duration than in a film, and had the luxury of time to explore the character, her moods, and her conflicts. It was a very well-written character!" Santhy thanked the writers for such a relatable and nuanced role.

On Women Behind The Camera

Speaking about working with a team that had several women collaborating both before and behind the camera, Santhy explained,

“When women write female characters, they write from lived experience, which adds to their authenticity."

"The trio in Sweet Kaaram Coffee are layered, flawed, and beautifully etched out, and that’s one of the things that excited me when I read the script. Female audiences feel seen when women pen the script; they feel they are represented on screen. The series has plenty of insightful moments and nuanced dialogue because the script came from a female perspective."

"Also, I feel that the male characters were written with understanding. They aren’t just portrayed as villains, but as people who are stuck in the stereotypes of a patriarchal society. They are men who are capable of redeeming themselves – not cardboard characters with the singular dimension of being oppressors. All the male characters have their own journey in the show, and they evolve into better people. Women writers understand that men too are victims of patriarchy – they are portrayed as people capable of perceiving things differently and changing for the better when they realise where they have gone wrong," she added.

Santhy disclosed that she is both similar to Nivi in certain ways and different in others. "I’m a sensitive person who tends to live inside my head like Nivi does. I’m also quite impulsive like her, and sometimes make decisions pretty quickly. However, I’m definitely more confident and self-assured than Nivi, who is riddled with insecurities."

Sharing the wonderful feedback she’s been getting for the show, Santhy said it has been especially heartening to have people telling her that they are watching the show with their Amma and Paati. "Families are sharing the viewing experience and are bonding over it. Also, thanks to subtitles, the team has received love from audiences across the globe, which speaks to how people are connecting to the characters and the themes regardless of cultural barriers.”

What's In Store Next

When asked if there would be a second season of Sweet Kaaram Coffee, Santhy said that it was too early to say that. "However, there are a lot of interesting elements to potentially explore in season 2, as season one involved getting to know the characters in the context of the road trip. So, it might be interesting to unravel their equations back on home turf." 

On the work front, Santhy is looking forward to her next release, an independent Malayalam feature film written, directed, and produced by Shalini Usha Devi, who won the national award for screenwriting for Soorarai Pottru.

Suggested Reading: Sweet Karam Coffee: Portrayal Of Female Bonding Beyond Generations