Technically, actress Nithya Menen is a Malayali, but she’s never lived in Kerala, on account of which she feels more at home in Bengaluru, where she grew up. Nithya is a third-generation Malayali in Bengaluru, and studied Kannada in school, so much so that she can not only speak the language fluently, but also read and write it. In a conversation with So South, Nithya, who recently won the National Award for Best Actress opened up about the identity crisis she faces. 

Nithya Menen: I am a Kannadathi at heart

As far as Nitya is concerned, she is more Kannadiga than Malayali. “In my heart, I identify as a Kannadathi,” says the actress, adding that to date, people relate to her more as a Malayali. “For me, Bengaluru is home,” she adds. In fact, often on her film sets too, even after 2-3 schedules when the team has to book her return tickets she is asked if she’s flying to Kochi and not Bengaluru.

This, she reckons, is because of her surname, which, as she now reveals, is something she concocted for the ease of putting it on her passport and is not her surname; it doesn’t even reflect the caste she belongs to. “When I was young, my name was NS Nithya, with N and S being the initials of my parents’ names. Since my name was decided on the basis of numerology, but was problematic in travel documents, I decided to change my name officially. I used numerology to come up with a name that would match the initials and that is how Menen came to be,” she explains. 

However, despite her Bengaluru roots, Nithya has not been seen in Kannada cinema for 8 years. She debuted in Sandalwood way back in 2006 with 7 O’Clock, which she followed up with films like Josh, Aidondla Aidu, Myna and Kotigobba 2. The Sudeep-starrer was her last film in Kannada.

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