3BHK actress Meetha Raghunath on her films, married life, and her journey from actor to aspiring author

When I read a script, I try to experience it the way the audience would. If something moves me during that first read, I just hope it will connect with others too. That’s what happened with this film. When I read it, it struck a chord with me. I hoped others would feel the same, and thankfully, they did. I am grateful for that.

When I approach a character, I usually like to do the work on my own. With Aarthi, it was a very personal process. Playing her meant drawing from my experience of growing up as a girl in an Indian household, and more specifically, as a sibling. What really stood out to me in the film was how siblings step up to support their parents. That deeply resonated with me because that’s exactly how my family operates—as a unit, and they take responsibilities in their own way. It felt like an honest portrayal of sibling dynamics and of the women I know and grew up around.

I approach every film as something entirely new, always coming into it with an open mind. When it comes to the characters I play, what matters most to me is that they feel honest—not in the sense that they’re always good or make the right choices, but that they stay true to who they are. It’s about capturing their reality, flaws and all.

Being called the “girl next door” feels like a huge compliment. It means people have welcomed me into their homes. But it’s not something I consciously set out to be. It just so happened that the three films I’ve done so far reflect middle-class values, and that’s the only real thread connecting them. The characters themselves are quite different from one another. That said, I’m eager to break out of that mould. I see myself as someone very different from the roles I’ve played. I’m deeply fascinated by people and their complexities, and I would love to dive into characters that are eccentric. I want to explore the entire spectrum of the human psyche.

Neither, actually. I wouldn’t say I fully relate to either character. As a person, I don’t usually share much of who I am with the world. But I’ve always seen myself as an eccentric and unpredictable person. And, I have a lot of energy.

I think in every film, there's always something that's close to your heart. For me, Mudhal Nee Mudivum Nee will always be special because that was the film that really solidified my process. Darbuka Siva was a method director, and through that film, I understood method acting for the first time. It gave me a foundation for my process, and ever since then, I’ve kind of played with it.

In Good Night and 3BHK, I explored and experimented with my process. In Good Night, there’s one scene that’s very close to me. It’s the one where he leaves the house, and I have a monologue on the balcony toward the climax. I’m crying and expressing everything I feel. That day, I had been shooting for almost 24 hours straight. That particular scene was freshly written, and I got it around 4 or 5 in the morning while we were on set. We were supposed to film it immediately, but it got delayed for lighting reasons, so we ended up filming the whole day and shot that scene around midnight. The fact that it was such an impromptu scene, and that I could tap into that emotion, I was really happy with how it turned out.

As for 3BHK, what I love the most is the small, subtle scenes, moments where you just exist as the character. I genuinely related to the characters around me, like the father, mother, and brother figures. And when you relate to those dynamics on a personal level, I feel like everything just clicks and flows more naturally.

One of the greatest privileges in my life is having my family, and I tell them every day. From a young age, my sister and I were encouraged to pursue our own paths. Our parents have always seen us as individuals and respected our choices. When I first auditioned for the role, I didn’t tell them, as it was something I was just trying out, and I wasn’t sure if anything would come of it. When I actually landed the part and finally told them, they were like, “What? You are getting into films?” It was a surprise, but they were also incredibly supportive of any decision we made as individuals.

I was born and raised in Ooty, and throughout my childhood, our school had a very active performance culture. We were always putting on plays, sometimes as often as every week. I think my first time on stage was in UKG, so from kindergarten onwards, I subconsciously gravitated toward performing. I remember one of my earliest plays, in second standard, where I had a dialogue that stretched across three or four long sheets of paper. I found it exciting, and I loved being up there.

I come from a middle-class family and was quite studious. I always believed the path to figuring life out was through studying hard and getting a stable job. That was just the mindset I had at the time, based on what I knew. I never thought that performing arts could be a real career. I often describe my life as emotionally rich. I've always loved writing and been fascinated by emotions and the human experience. When I started acting, I felt like all the pieces of who I am just fell into place.

We never really had an active film-watching culture growing up. Back then, there were maybe two or three theaters, and we would only go for really big films. So, I didn’t have a lot of film influences as a child. Honestly, my biggest inspirations have always been my family and the people I am really close to. And not to sound too philosophical, but I find inspiration in people, fellow actors, and people from everyday life. I know people often say that, but I genuinely pay attention and try to incorporate those qualities if I feel like they can make me better or more efficient in some way.

But if you’re talking about someone I looked up to creatively, it was writer Haruki Murakami. I’m obsessed with him. His writing feels very liberating to me, and I really connect with the characters he creates. Murakami is probably the first person I ever truly connected with on a deeper level.

I never expected to fall in love. It just happened. I met him in front of the camera while I was shooting for an album song. It’s the kind of thing you read about in books or see in films. But instinctively, I just knew he was someone special to me. And from there, it just felt natural, and we wanted to be with each other. So, marriage was simply a consequence of that.

It’s truly a wonderful privilege I’m grateful for every day. Since getting married, my life has been great, as I have my best friend by my side. I still do what I love, but now with so much more support.

Women have always excelled at balancing work and family life. My mother, for example, has worked her whole life as a teacher and did an amazing job managing both. I think this change should have happened a long time ago, but I’m just glad it’s happening now. It’s long overdue, but better late than never.

Nothing has really changed in my head. I still go out and do everything I used to do. My parents live in Coimbatore, and when I go there, I run my errands. I’ve always loved going to cafes, sitting there, and reading a book or writing, and I still do all that. I literally do everything the same way I did before. Of course, people recognise me now, but they’ve been kind. They approach me maybe just to have a conversation, but they respect my space and let me do my thing. I appreciate that. Even people I don’t know, the public, have always respected my space. So, I just go about living my life, and I’m glad that people have given me the freedom to do that.

I struggled a lot with my hair growing up because I didn’t know how to care for it. I went through that phase of chemically smoothing it and all that. But I don’t believe any of that is sustainable or healthy. Then the curly girl movement came along, and I learned how to care for my hair properly. That was a total game changer because now I have a great relationship with my hair. I don’t do much—just shampoo and a leave-in conditioner—and then I dry it under the fan.

When it comes to my beauty routine, I’m not really someone who uses a lot of products. I use a good moisturiser, and it took me some time to find the right one. Now, I rely on a natural cocoa butter cream that works well for me. I moisturise regularly because I truly believe in its benefits. Over the past few years, I’ve noticed that as women age, hormonal changes can sometimes affect the skin. I struggled with acne for a while, but what really made a difference was adopting a healthy lifestyle. I take my health seriously. I eat well, work out, and stay active. I’ve come to realise that true beauty comes from within. It’s more about what you eat and how you take care of yourself than just the products you apply. You can have the best skincare in the world, but without good health, it’s not sustainable.

I am always juggling new things. Anyone who knows me, even my sister, teases me because as soon as I finish work, I’m already diving into something new. I am obsessed with languages. Right now, I am learning four languages at once. I have been learning Korean for a long time, but I have recently added French and German to the mix. I try to keep up with Malayalam and Telugu since I consume a lot of Indian media. I already speak Tamil and Hindi fluently, and Badaga is my mother tongue. But beyond all that, learning languages is just something I genuinely enjoy.

There is one passion I am still eager to pursue—writing. I have been writing for years, though I haven’t shared much of it publicly. Writing is my go-to space. I began with poetry, but now I dabble with different formats of writing. Writing is my safe haven. I am hopeful to create something meaningful with it someday.

Hopefully! It’s actually been in the works for years. Somehow, I haven’t quite managed to streamline it yet. But yes, a book and exploring different formats of writing too. I’m focusing on that seriously.

Yes! At the screening of Mudhal Nee Mudivum Nee, lyricist Madhan Karky was there. I admire his writing, and I never expected to see him in person. It was a wonderful experience meeting him.

My anger. That’s something I do, but I don’t really show it outside. At home, yes, I do get a bit angry. But outside the house, I try not to. I’m still working on managing my anger.

Honestly, I feel superpowers would be wasted on me. As Meetha, I want to do everything I normally do, even if I had superpowers.

I have a lot of favourite films. I really like the film Arrival, as I’m fascinated by languages. And in Arrival, the main character is a linguist!