Dubai-bred Tresa shows confidence

Catherine Tresa is taking sure-footed strides in Tamil and Telugu films, choosing roles that excite her, writes Deepa Gauri

Few can claim the crossover success that Catherine Tresa has achieved in South Indian cinema. She debuted in Kannada, acted in Malayalam, and soon moved to Telugu and Tamil, where she is fast consolidating her stardom – with powerful author-backed roles that demonstrate her acting prowess.

Her arc of success comes without the backing of industry connections and she attributes it to ‘all the roles that chose her,’ including her character in Madras, the Tamil film which won her a fair share of awards and nominations.

In just six years in cinema, she has chosen her roles well, indeed, the most recent being in Kadamban, now playing at theatres in the UAE. “It was a very ambitious project and it was not an easy role,” says Catherine. “I believe that emotions take films forward and Kadamban had that emotional connection.”

Although she plays a tribal girl, her character goes through a remarkable transformation. “It has different shades all in one role – being cute to playful, speaking one’s mind and even doing the fights.”

For the fights, the mixedmartial arts and kickboxing that she practices as part of her fitness regimen came in handy.

Catherine has discovered a passion in dancing, which she says give her a great sense of balance, flexibility and – for the mind - a lot of cheer. “In my initial days, I was told straight to my face that I was a pathetic dancer. I took it upon myself to be a good dancer. It sort of complemented my love for music. And I find that dance sort of unifies my mind and body.”

She says that she would not

describe her journey through films as a tough one. “It really depends on the person. I have been brought up with the idea that nothing is handed to

you on a platter. I have never harboured any expectation that being in films is going to be easy, so I have set out to do it myself.”