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I
can never forget those days. It all happened
when I was shooting for Superhit Muqabla for
Doordarshan’s Metro channel. I got a
call from ABCL (Amitabh Bachchan Corporation
Limited) and when I got there, Jaya Ji (Jaya
Bachchan) was there and asked if I would be
interested in a role in their forthcoming
film. It was like a dream…I came to know
that quite a few ladies were screen-tested!
There I was sharing the screen with three
other relative newcomers Chandrachur Singh,
Arshad Warsi and Priya Gill |
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I
did get some offers after ‘Tere Mere
Sapne’ but none of them excited me. It
was then that ‘Once More’ came to
me. I was lucky to share screen time with
greats like Shivaji Ganesan. The movie did
well and I was considered a lucky actress.
I stayed back longer when I was offered Malayalam
film ‘Indraprastham’ with superstar
Mammootty. Again it proved to be a hit and
I realized that regional cinema was my playing
field. |
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I
have virtually settled down here though we
still have our connections with Mumbai. Yes,
I do like Chennai a lot... its atmosphere,
its people, though climatically it is hot
and sultry. I find the people very easy to
get along, despite being conservative. Compared
to the hustle and bustle of Mumbai, Chennai
is peaceful and of course, I really love the
south Indian food. |
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I
have some interesting roles lined up. I am
acting in Director S.J.Surya’s film New
(he plays the lead role too). I am also sharing
the stage with Arjun in Otran directed by
Ilangkannan. I am now looking more at quality
rather than quantity. Glamour can sustain
you momentarily, but you have to possess histrionic
skills to survive in the long run. I have
also Velu and Oru Nadikayin Kadhai on the
anvil. |
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Basically,
I want to do roles that offer me better scope
to perform a variety of emotions. I only accept
well-defined characters now, be it in Tamil,
Telugu or Malayalam. I am really happy to
have worked with people like Mani Sir (Mani
Rathnam), Nasser, Kamal Hassan, Mohan Lal… etc. These people give you confidence. If
you see, each role of late has been different.
If Pammal K. Sambandham had me do comedy,
Parthale Paravesam is different and so is
Kannathil Mutham Ittal with Mani Sir and Madhavan,
and in Kovilpatti Veeralakshmi i had done
a non-glamourous and an emotional action packed
role. |
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I
have learnt from each director and each unit
that I have worked with. K. Balachander always
reminded me of a school principal. I guess
I learned at least 10 new expressions on every
day of shooting that we did. Mani Rathnam
is so organized. Read the script and you won’t
need any further explanations. I sometimes
am surprised by the zest that these filmmakers
show. Despite it being his 100th movie, you
should see the enthusiasm and the drive that
Balachander Sir has. |
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The
first Tamil film I watched was Kamal Hassan's
Avvai Shanmughi (made into Hindi as Chachi
420). I did not employ a tutor. Instead I
saw to it that my assistants spoke to me in
Tamil. I learnt four to five words a day.
Now I can speak the language fluently. I must
tell you that even in my initial days, I did
not get my dialogues written out in Hindi.
I just took the help of a prompter. I am quite
comfortable with Tamil now, though the other
three south Indian languages still do not
flow naturally, though I can understand them. |
