I realised I had something in common with Alia Bhatt when she hailed Nimisha Sajayan as her “favourite actor of all time”. Alia Bhatt is the executive producer of Prime Video’s Poacher, arguably the best Indian miniseries to hit any OTT platform in 2024. It was probably Nimisha Sajayan’s performance in The Great Indian Kitchen that catapulted her to national spotlight but she has been my favourite actress ever since I saw one of her first Malayalam films – Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum (2017).
Poacher is based on Operation Shikar, one of the most decisive efforts against wildlife crime in India. It was spearheaded by the Kerala Forest Department between 2015 and 2017, and centres around elephant poaching and ivory smuggling in the Malayattoor forest division of Ernakulam district. Like most of us who watched the show, Nimisha was unaware about the scale of poaching until her meeting with series creator Richie Mehta (who also helmed Delhi Crime on Netflix).
Alia Bhatt called Nimisha the “beating heart” of Poacher in an Instagram post. Nimisha holds the series together as Mala Jogi, and it’s her ability to communicate in English, Malayalam and Hindi (she grew up in Mumbai) that added to the appeal of her performance. In a recent interview with Telegraph India Nimisha mentioned that “Being true is the key and it will naturally shine through my art”. We take you through six of Nimisha’s stellar performances in Malayalam cinema that reflect this philosophy.
Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum (2017): Loosely translates to ‘The Evidence and the Eyewitness’. Dileesh Pothen’s second directorial venture involves just three characters — a newly married couple and a thief who steals a gold chain during a bus journey. Nimisha shines in her first major film role as Sreeja, the aggrieved wife, and stands out in a film that features powerful performances by Fahadh Faasil and Suraj Venjaramoodu.
Watch it on: Disney+ Hotstar
Eeda (2018): B. Ajithkumar’s Eeda (Here) is a modern spin on Romeo and Juliet, set in Kannur on Kerala’s northern tip. The film uses the backdrop of political violence in the North Malabar region. Nimisha and Shane Nigam star as the lead pair who fall in love, unaware of their families’ political affiliations.
Watch it on: Amazon Prime Video
The Great Indian Kitchen (2021): Nimisha delivers an intense performance as an educated dancer raised in the Middle East who struggles to fit into a patriarchal family as a submissive wife, following her arranged marriage to a teacher. The Jeo Baby-directed film carries a powerful message against stereotypical gender roles, and marks Nimisha’s screen reunion with her Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum co-star Suraj Venjaramoodu.
Watch it on: Amazon Prime Video
Malik (2021): Director Mahesh Narayanan built this ‘political thriller’ around land acquisition cases in the coastal regions of Thiruvananthapuram, and critics hailed Fahadh Faasil for turning in one of his career-best performances as Sulaimaan Malik, a role that has shades of Michael Corleone from The Godfather and Velu Naicker from Nayakan. While this might have been a Fahadh Faasil show, Nimisha made a big impression as Roselyn, Sulaimaan Malik’s wife.
Watch it on: Amazon Prime Video
Nayattu (2021): Martin Prakkat’s political survival thriller recounts the tale of three police officers who become pawns for unscrupulous politicians. In a case of hunters becoming the hunted (Nayattu translates to ‘The Hunt’), all three officers go on the run to evade arrest. Nimisha plays WCPO Sunitha who collaborates with the other two officers played terrifically by Joju George and Kunchako Boban.
Watch it on: Netflix
Oru Thekkan Thallu Case (2022): Nimisha shines in an ensemble cast that includes her Poacher co-star Roshan Mathew, Padmapriya and Biju Menon. This revenge saga, which means ‘a southern brawl case’, is set in Kerala’s Kollam district in the 1980s. Based on a short story by GR Indugopan, Oru Thekkan Thallu follows the dramatic events that unfold after a crime is committed in a seaside village with a towering lighthouse.
Watch it on: Netflix
