Despite a slew of glamourous roles that rarely went beyond navel-gazing and bikini outings, Namitha is positive of serving a caution note to her detractors with her release, Indira Vizha (costarring Srikant). “It’s an unusual character who goes from bubbly to bitter due to her circumstances. You are going to see my potential as an actress in it. A lot of people were shocked at my performance,” she gushes. Not just that, she even watched a lot of movies featuring Demi Moore and Sharon Stone to get the right body language.

In fact, Namitha has quite a few films lined up that “strike a balance between glamour and substance”.

There is the horror flick Jaganmohini, action packed Vijayanthi IPS and a few untitled Telugu films. Her cop film Vijayanthi IPS is already arousing a lot of curiosity with her Vijayashanti look and action scenes. “I am told that after Vijayashanthi, I am the only actress who has been able to pull off such stunts in Indian cinema,” she claims.

Though Namitha admits that “she can never leave glamour”, it does get irksome when the bikini tag is perpetually attached to her.

“Though being glamorous is good for my job, it works against me at times.

Somehow directors take me for granted and feel that there is a connection between Namitha and swimsuits. It’s really not mandatory,” she guffaws adding that she has been swindled by directors who convinced her about exemplary roles, which eventually turned out to be item numbers.

As if to validate her point, this glam star has decided to cut down on her bikini appearances on screen.

Namitha is dying to do roles with a “touch of innocence” like the ones in Sadma, Chaalbaaz and Jab We Met. “But, of course, no director will approach me for such roles, “ she rues.

Namitha tells me that donning the cop role in Vijayanthi IPS made her realise that there was an overdose of glamour in her filmi characters. “Here I was dressed in homely kurtas and saris and still felt so good about doing it.

That’s when I realised being glamourous was getting tedious,” she avers.

The real Namitha is the antithesis of what you see on screen. In private she loves to curl up with a book, frequents coffee shops, and is addicted to her iPod.

Always nattily dressed at public functions, she admits to having an aversion for parties.

Being well read, doesn’t she get hassled by the mindless glamour and irrational scenes that she is required to portray on screen?

“Yes, of course. In this industry it pays to play dumb and polite all the time. When such scenes come I just shut my mind and do it,” she admits.

Her judge role in the dance reality show Maanada Mayilada with her appalling Tamil was really endearing.

“It really connected me to more people,” she grins.