SJ Suryah calls Mamitha Baiju a 'nadippu arakki' actress

SJ Suryah has named Mamitha Baiju as the actress he would call a "nadippu arakki", the female form of the "acting demon" tag Tamil audiences use for him. He made the remark in a recent interview.

When the interviewer asked which actress deserved the title, Suryah picked Mamitha and said she has been delivering strong performances lately. For the North, he named Alia Bhatt.

Mamitha's year

The compliment comes in a big year for Mamitha. In Tamil, she played Vijay's sister in JanaNayagan and is Suriya's heroine in Vishwanath and Sons. In Malayalam, she returned with the Nivin Pauly film Bethlehem Kudumba Unit.

Next, she stars opposite Sangeeth Prathap in Dinoy Paulose's Hello Dear, which releases on January 29, 2027.

SJ Suryah is currently in theatres with Jailer 2.

Why the 'acting demon' tag fits Suryah

SJ Suryah started out as a director, making Vaali (1999) with Ajith Kumar and Kushi (2000) with Vijay before turning to acting with New (2004). His second innings as an actor has been the bigger story. Spyder, Mersal and Maanaadu (2021) made him the go-to name for loud, unpredictable villains, and Mark Antony and Jigarthanda DoubleX, both in 2023, cemented the 'nadippu arakkan' label among Tamil fans.

So when he hands the female version of that title to someone, it carries weight. Picking a Malayali actor who is still early in her career makes the remark stand out even more.

How Mamitha got here

Mamitha Baiju began with supporting parts in Malayalam films, playing Alphonsa in Operation Java (2021) and Sona in Super Sharanya (2022). Premalu (2024), Girish AD's romantic comedy, made her a star across South India. Dude, with Pradeep Ranganathan, added a big Tamil hit to that run in 2025.

Alia Bhatt, Suryah's pick for the North, won the National Film Award for Best Actress for Gangubai Kathiawadi.

Suryah himself is in theatres with Jailer 2, so the interview also served as promotion for the Rajinikanth sequel.

Her Tamil debut came in Rebel (2024), where she played Sara opposite GV Prakash Kumar. Dude, released for Diwali 2025, now streams on Netflix with Malayalam audio as well.

Also read: Mamitha Baiju picks her Bethlehem Kudumba Unit and Premalu roles as closest to her real self