When Jasmine Mary Joseph set off with her school friends to watch a film shoot in the small town of Kattupuzha near Thiruvalla in Kerala, little did she realize it would culminate in a National Award for Best Actress.

She had always wanted to be a doctor but director Lohithadas put paid to that when he spotted the attractive face. Something told him she was meant for great things as an actress - but Jasmine and her family were surprised and uncertain.

The conservative, God-fearing, small-town Christian community to which they belonged perhaps looked askance at the acting profession. But something made the girl say yes and the rest is history as Jasmine Mary Joseph became Meera Jasmine.

Lohithadas cast her opposite leading man Dileep in "Soothradharan" and she lived up to the promise. There could have been a lot many more Malayalam films for her in its wake but she got an offer to play heroine against Tamil heartthrob Madhavan in "Run".

It was a huge success and though she did have a run of mediocre Tamil films thereafter, she caught the eye of Mani Rathnam, who cast her in "Aayutha Ezhuthu", again opposite Madhavan.

Thereafter, she received offer after offer from Tamil and Telugu producers. Her work in Malayalam was limited.

Apart from the response and recognition she earned in Tamil, the yellow film press of Kerala was a strong reason for her to stay away from Malayalam films.

She, however, did not forsake her mother tongue altogether and gave a noteworthy performance in "Swapnakkoodu".

The film was a hit, but the press that had spread stories on her, still attacked her for acting in more non-Malayalam films.

She also displayed good sense and commitment to serious cinema when she agreed to do the role of Shahina in T.V. Chandran's "Paatham Onnu - Oru Vilaapam".

Chandran's cinema belongs to a different genre and is far from the glitter, tinsel and money associated with Telugu and Tamil films. The cognoscenti recognize the sterling performance returned by her in a very difficult role - that of a veritable child bride as the second wife of an elderly man.

The selectors for the National Award for the Best Actress agreed. The small-town girl from Kerala has come a long way on her journey to recognition and fame.

She is also well on her way to become a real multilingual actress: already she has signed to work opposite Puneet Rajkumar in a Kannada film.