Nadiya Moidu on ‘Wonder Women’: ‘Anjali Menon challenged me to think differently’

Nadiya has a significant role in Anjali’s Wonder Women, about six pregnant women and their journey together, which is releasing on SonyLIV on November 18

Talking to Nadiya Moidu is like catching up with an old friend. That infectious laugh, the joie de vivre, it all comes through in a telephone conversation with the actor as she talks about her role in Anjali Menon’s movie Wonder Women.

Nadiya plays Nandita, who runs a pre-natal centre where six pregnant women from different walks of life and regions come to prepare for motherhood. Wonder Women is about how these women bond as they go through the milestones and the journey together. It is about each empowering the other.

Nadiya explains that it is a journey that a family travels with the would-be mother. “It is not only a woman’s issue. The entire family is involved in supporting the mother and the new life that is coming into being. It is a beautiful journey that one goes through over the nine months, a journey that slowly grows on you.”

The veteran actor believes that there is a special bonding that happens within a group of women. She feels that “the bond, the energy and the madness that women share is something else.”  Although the other actors were younger than her, Nadiya experienced the same bonding on the sets.

“It was a learning experience to be with a bunch of sharp, intelligent and witty women. They are not just extremely talented actors, they are far more knowledgeable about the craft, far more clued-in about their work as well. Today’s generation is so proactive about the work they do. The conversations we had were amazing. It is a different school. I am still old school. I took away a lot from the film,” says Nadiya, who made her debut in cinema in Fazil’s evergreen movie Nokketha Dhoorathu Kannum Nattu in 1984.

Working with Anjali Menon for the first time in a movie, Nadiya admits she was over the moon when the filmmaker offered her the role, as she was a writer-director Nadiya was keen on working with.

“Nandita is such a lovely character. When you get to my age, you get pigeon holed so easily with the kind of characters we normally play. Streaming platforms are where women can be seen as heroes, a place where age is not a barrier,” explains Nadia.