Dressed in a simple off-white cotton Anarkali, shorn of make-up the very cute-looking Nithya Menon sits silently and waits for the audio release function of Ala Modalaindi to begin. One just cannot take their gaze off from her lovely curls and kohl-lined eyes. The Malayalam beauty's career happened by chance and not choice, she made her debut when she was just eight years old in an English film and Malayalam movie when she was seventeen.

Even now she says her dream is to come up with a wildlife reserve or get into full-time photography. A graduate of journalism from Manipal University Nithya Menon says she had worked with many women directors, Nandini Reddy not withstanding. All of them had been brilliant, intelligent and sensitive and though she loved this current script she did it for emotional reasons. The director is her best friend.

Nithya has sung two songs for this Telugu movie and even dubbed for it. She is modest and says that she didn't have to try too hard for it because she believes that singing, dancing, or acting et al skills are inborn. Her parents are okay with her doing films but her extended family is not too happy. Her granny wants her to marry and have a child.

She says, "We are normal middle class conservative family and their attitude towards films is not right." She maintains that each film she had worked in is handpicked and she's proud of it, her criteria is to ensure working in projects that her parents are not embarrassed watching it.

Has she seen any telugu film? Yes she has, her first Telugu film is Magadheera which she watched with her co-stars on the first day. She adds, "I enjoy watching such stuff but I don't see myself doing mass films where the heroine has nothing to do except looking good, glamorous because I can act. There are a lot of other people who cannot act and they can do those things." The plain-speaking actress says she doesn't watch too many films or idolize anyone. Simple, because movies are not her passion and she has no dreams related to it.