She was the scene-stealer in the recent Tamil flick Azhagiye Theeye holding her own in a daringly different concept. Though she could not steal the thunder with no heavyweights around, her efforts came in for praise from the director and the ones which count - the masses.

Navya Nair is a proven name in Malayalam films, with three smashing hits from around 15 films. Awards have chased her literally, recipient of many, including the prestigious State award. She could not believe her lucky stars when no less a person than Prakashraj along with director Radhamohan came all the way to her hometown (Alappuzha) to narrate the script.

'I fell in love with the story. Instincts told me that it will be no run-of-the-mill stuff. Though I had not been short of variations in Malayalam, the theme arrested my attention. Language was no deal which I found out once you get into the skin of the character.'

How comfortable was she in a subject which called for lot of subtlety and underplaying the character. Things fell in place from the start. There were no room for emotions and getting carried away in the character of Nandini. She could explode only when the character warmed up sufficiently. Navya was not exactly flooded with offers but still undecided to take the ones coming from Balu Mahendra and Hari. 'A little wary of glamour in Tamil films,' she said as if reading the mind.

'So much of grandeur and richness in songs unnerve me. Back home, there is no such scary thought. The script is the winner there. Will not be comfortable in subjects alien to my liking.'

Navya, busy-as-bee in Malayalam, is spoken of in the same breath as Manju Warrier, who called the shots, not long ago. Her debut flick Ishtham with Dileep did enough business to bring in the appreciative nods from many quarters.

Then followed films like Mazhathullikilukam, Kunjikoonan and Kalyanaraman,' sustaining her forget-me-not start.

Aware of the dent she had made, Navya said, 'It is that much difficult to keep good the progress. Happy to be compared with Manju but have a long way to go.' Not long ago she was bestowed the title of Kala Thilakam in the youth festival of Alleppey district.Her better moments was when Chadikatha Chadhu ran over 200 days paired with Jayasuriya.

Having made a strong dent in Tamil, Navya could do with roles doing justice to her potential. Though happy in the world of her, she will not turn her back when meaningful roles land in her lap.