It has been a learning experience for me, both personally and professionally. It has shaped me into a much better human being on the whole. I appreciate all the opportunities that I have received and am glad I picked them up. I have embraced them all and have no regrets at all.
Talk us through your transition from a glam doll to a character-driven actress
In my initial years, I took baby steps and wanted to leave a mark and set milestones which I could be proud of. As time passed, I wanted to do a balancing act and tried out different shades. I wanted to prove that I could do different roles. That’s why I did all those myriad roles starting from a biriyani seller to a middle class employee at a pharmacy to a beggar. I didn’t want to be typecast.
Now when I look back at those glam roles, I don’t feel bad at all. Beyond a point, I made a conscious decision to work with newcomers as their ideas were fresh and they were brimming with enthusiasm. I have worked with many such first time directors and am happy I gave them a foundation.
After Naan Kadavul, offers started drying up drastically as till then you were among the top actresses. Why do you think so?
I also had some family issues to take care of and then the Sinhalese movie industry gave me a lot of plum offers which I happily did.
How does the Sinhalese industry work? And also tell us about the roles you have done there
It is a much smaller industry compared to the Tamil industry but there is a healthy mix of commercial films and parallel cinema being made there. Such art films have done good rounds in the festival circuit.
After playing a beggar in Naan Kadavul, I played a princess in the movie Kusa Pabha and this was a complete extreme. Till date, I have done 5 Sinhalese movies and 4 of them have become big hits. The other was critically well-received.
Interestingly, I got my first Sinhalese film Anjalika, thanks to Ajith’s Attagasam which was running in Sri Lanka when the director saw that film and approached me after coming to know that I was half-Indian and half-Lankan.
I have been received very well by fans in Lanka and I am humbled by their love and support. I won the Most Popular Actress Award in 2012 in Sri Lanka.
About Vidiyum Munn
I was picked for this film after director Balaji Kumar saw me in Oram Po and Naan Kadavul. I will confidently say that my director and cinematographer have shown me very beautifully on screen. I love the way I look in the film. In fact I had to let go of Paradesi as my dates for Vidiyum Munn clashed with Bala’s film. I was supposed to do Dhansika’s role. Bala Sir was gracious to let me proceed with Vidiyum Munn, as he felt that this new team needed my presence.
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