Geethu Mohandas to try her luck in direction

After winning critical acclaim and awards for her out-of-ordinary and challenging roles in Valkannadi (2002), Pakalpooram (2002), Oridam (2004), Akale (2004), Rappakal (2005), Thakarachenda (2007) and Naalu Pennungal (2007), noted Malayalam actress Geethu Mohandas is now all set to debut into film direction with a 30 minute short film. The actress made a TV appearance on Wednesday in 'Idea Star Singer', a popular reality in Malayalam aired by Asianet TV, and revealed that shooting for her film begins next week.

Geethu Mohandas started her film career as a child artist with Mohanlal starrer Onnu Mudhal Poojyam Vare, for which she won the Kerala State Award for Best Child Artiste in 1986. This five-year-old child captured the hearts of Malayalam filmgoers as a fatherless child who discovers a father in an anonymous telephone caller.

Later, Geethu Mohandas debuted in Tamil with the title role in En Bommakutty Ammavukku, a remake of director Fazil's Malayalam super hit Ente Maamaattykutty Ammakku (1983). In the Tamil version, Geethu was cast in the role of Baby Shalini in the original; the film went on to become a top grosser in Tamil. In 2003, Geethu came as a heroine in Tamil with Nala Damayanthi opposite Madhavan.

Geetu is one of those rare intellectually ambitious female actors who consciously avoided being cast as a just another beautiful female lead. Instead, right from the beginning of her career, she has accepted the out-of-ordinary and more challenging roles, which a young female actor would normally prefer to refuse. In 2004, she won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actress for Syamaprasad's Akale and Pradeep Nair's Oridam.