Actor Priya Anand is petite, even with heels, and wears a gorgeous smile to match the red dress she’s wearing. “It’s very Christmassy and I do love the season,” she confides to City Express, at the sidelines of the launch of a recent fashion store.
The English Vinglish starlet, who is put up in Chennai, has her hands full for the time being, filming four movies at the same time including two in Hindi. Would she ever want to shift base? “Oh no. Not at all,” she is quick to say. “Chennai is my home. I live with my grandparents and they need me. I wouldn’t dream of shifting to another city,” she adds.
“I love Chennai,” she elaborates. “When I was young, Marina Beach was my favourite place to hang out. I used to go to the free yoga classes conducted near the Gandhi statue and the laughter club after. It really is home,” she says.
Being a ‘Chennai girl’ also means that she is a ‘typical Tamil ponnu’. Priya laughs at that. “Yes! I am a typical Tamil ponnu. My favourite choice of clothes is the pavadai dhavani set with loads of malli poo in my hair. I never got to wear them when I was the right age though,” she confides. But the actor admits that she is not very fashion conscious. “I’m not conscious about brands or what’s ‘in’ but I do look after what I wear. I mostly lounge about in jeans, shorts and T-shirts. They are comfortable,” she states.
Fashion choices apart, mention something about a hobby, and Anand breaks into an apologetic grin. “I’m either shooting or travelling 28 days out of 30 and it gets very hectic. It’s such a sad state but I barely have any free time at all!” she exclaims.
It’s valid statement as she’s filming two Hindi movies, Rangrez and Fukrey, in addition to Edhir Neechal in Tamil opposite Dhanush and Ko Ante Koti in Telugu.
Anything else lined up in the future? “Not yet. My plate is full for now,” she says but signs off with “I’m looking to play characters that are really different, the kind that can push the envelope, the kind that keeps me on my toes.”