When people see Sadhana Venkatesh, they still remember her as the 10-year-old Chellamma from Thanga Meengal. “That’s all right, but I get angry when they call me ‘baby Sadhana’. I am 17 now,” she says with an impish smile.

After Thanga Meengal, Sadhana didn’t want to do another film but she couldn’t resist signing Peranbu. “Though offers were pouring in, I didn’t take up any. It’s difficult to say ‘no’ to Ram uncle as he is a father-figure. He is someone I am at complete ease with and his concern for me goes beyond films.

What was on Sadhana’s mind after Ram narrated her the script? “I was quite sure I can’t pull off Paapa, but my parents believed in my abilities and encouraged me to pursue the role. I was extremely nervous because I am not a trained actor. I had to shed a lot of inhibitions to play a special child. Once I started shooting, I never looked at the monitor or camera, because I thought I would feel insecure about my looks,” she says.

Though Sadhana feels blessed to have played Paapa, she says the role was emotionally draining. “It was also physically-demanding because I had to keep my mouth, hands and legs in an abnormal position. But the whole journey was worth my pain and effort. Not every actor of my age gets an opportunity to act with the legendary Mammootty uncle. He is like a textbook of cinema and knows everything from framing shots, camera techniques to direction and lighting.

Little did she imagine Thanga Meengal would fetch her the National Award in the Best Child Artiste category. “Around 100 girls were auditioned for the role before I was zeroed in on. I remember how Ram uncle used to describe every scene in detail to make sure I understood his requirements though I was too young to understand what it meant to play a pivotal role in a film. He has always given me complete freedom to do whatever I wanted to,” Sadhana recalls with a sense of maturity that belies her age.