‘I have much more potential than just looking beautiful’ 

Ahead of the release of Life Jothe Ondu Selfie, Sudharani, in a tell-all interview, opens up about the discrimination she has faced owing to her light skin tone    
‘I have much more potential than just looking beautiful’ 

A heroine who has got in playing character roles was happy, surprised and excited to be part of Dinakar Thoogudeepa’s Life Jothe Ondu Selfie; says it is very rare to come across such subjects at a time when not too much stuff is written exclusively for women Sudharani has managed to hog the limelight for years now. While fraternity and fans wonder how she has maintained her position in the industry,  the actor who is prepping for the release of her upcoming film, Life Jothe Ondu Selfie, tells us about the struggles she’s has to face including being discriminated for her skin colour.

“Some filmmakers felt that since I’m on the fairer side, I don’t look convincing in certain roles. They feel I fit into city-bred kind of stories. At one point, I was taken aback when caste was a deciding factor,” she says. 

But on her part, Sudharani has always gone with her gut feel even though it has let her down a few times. “I go with my gut instinct. But there are times, I have gone wrong. Maybe I trusted the makers too much or it was just blind faith or a raw deal.  This used to be the case when I made a transition from being a heroine to playing character roles. But it was a move I had to make because I wanted to prove myself as an actor and not just as a leading lady,” says Sudharani.

At present, she feels, the industry scenario is such that character artistes are not given as much prominence as the hero and heroine. “But, the story of Life...is one where each and every person, irrespective of age or gender can identify with. My role specifically is one that tells people to never give up. Overall it is a feel-good movie with a good message,” she says.   

Of late, Sudharani says that she finds filmmakers don’t have character roles exclusively written for women. “I don’t like to be considered as someone who just ups the glam quotient of a film. In fact, it irks me when industry insiders label me as just beautiful. I am often asked ‘how I manage to still look beautiful’. It’s hurts me. As an artiste, I just want to say that it’s just about how good one looks. I don’t want to be known as an actor who has beauty without brains.  I have much more potential than just looking beautiful,” she explains. 

Ahead of the release of Dinakara Thoogudeepa’s directorial, in which she features in a key role, Sudharani recalls an interaction with a famous actor, who mentioned to her that it’s not enough play lead roles if you’re not able to bring them alive. “Neither do I want to be identified with one type of character. Hopefully, in Life... I’ll be able to prove myself in a different kind of role,” she says. 

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