Asin Thottumkal no more daddy's girl

Apr 25, 2009 Subhash K Jha

Mumbai, April 25 (IANS) Actress Asin Thottumkal has to manage her life and career on her own for the first time as her father prepares to go in for surgery. But she says she is determined to prove herself.

"He has been avoiding getting into the hospital. He felt if he was off his feet, my work would suffer. But this time I'm determined to prove him wrong. I'll continue my work in his absence," said Asin, who made an impressive entry in Hindi films with "Ghajini".

"Will I miss my dad? He has taught me to be a strong girl," Asin told IANS.

Asin's dad Joseph Thottumkal, who is to go under the knife for an appendectomy, has been attending to all of his daughter's business calls from bed.

"He is on a drip. No food allowed... and still he's constantly on the phone discussing and confirming my prior engagements. He's very clear on one thing. Under no circumstance am I supposed to let any of my commitments suffer because of his hospitalisation," said Asin, who walked away with Filmfare Best Hindi Debut award.

To compound her distress, Asin's mother, who is a doctor, is also spending as much time with Joseph as possible, leaving Asin with no choice but to fend for herself at home.

"My father was in pain for some time. He tried to play it down, took pain killers. But then it got worse. And we were unable to go to my native place in Kerala to cast my vote for the Lok Sabha elections. For the first time in my professional career I found myself travelling alone to Bangalore for a commitment. It felt different. But one has to manage. I'd like to believe I'm quite a capable girl," she said.

Asin returned from Bangalore and rushed straight to the Kokilabhen Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital where her father had been admitted.

"It's quite near to where we live, yet seems so far away," said the actress whose next Hindi release is "London Dreams", which also stars Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan.