Lijomol Jose cannot make up her mind about whether she is an accidental actor or a reluctant one. She bursts out laughing as she says , “I don’t know…maybe a reluctantly accidental actor?” As Unmadham reaches theatres today, the self-confessedly ‘extremely introverted’ actor is doing a flash back on what led her to a career in films. Best known among her roles are those in films like Jai Bhim and Ponman, apart from her debut film Maheshinte Prathikaaram (2016). Steffi in Ponman was a breakout of sorts. The 2025 film, inspired by GR Indugopan’s novel Naalanchu Cheruppakaar and directed by Jothish Sankar, gave her space to prove her acting chops and how. Pitched against Basil Joseph, Lijo was noticed for her portrayal of the brusque and no-nonsense Steffi, whose motto seemed to be self preservation at any cost. Tamil and Malayalam films like Kattapanayile Ritwik Roshan, Honey Bee 2.5, Sivappu Manjal Pachai, Her, Baby Girl, and Nadanna Sambhavam are some of her other films over her past ten years as an actor. Her role in Jai Bhim fetched her the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for the Best Actress for Jai Bhim and the Kerala State Film Award for Best Character Actress for Nadanna Sambhavam.