She's been on the topmost rung of the ladder in Kollywood for decades, acting with all the major stars of the times. Then post marriage and motherhood she turned to the small screen with a successful stint as actor, producer and even director. Now the talented actor Sripriya has discovered one more latent talent and turned painter.
''I had always been interested in art. Even as a child I used to draw portraits and paint in my spare time. But though the talent was there in me, we could not afford the special art classes at school,'' recalls Sripriya. Charcoal and pencil sketches were her favourite medium and she loved doing portraits and sceneries. ''But when I joined films the passion for painting and drawing took a backseat and I concentrated fully on my career. However, now that my daughter is in the 10th standard, I stopped working. to be with her. I found I had more spare time since I was home a lot more. That's when I revived my old passion,'' she smiles.
So out came the brushes and paints and Sripriya found herself engrossed all day long in the myriad hues of the paintbox. ''Time just flies and the whole day is gone when I am painting,'' she laughs. Her favourite topics now are women. ''But these are not women projected in poverty and drudgery. I painted Indian women who are rich in beauty, passion, kindness and elegance,'' says Sripriya. ''My women are size zero, with slim, slender arms, legs and figures. They are everything I am not!'' she chuckles.
Apart from her ten oil-on-canvas works, she has also done several paintings on marble tiles. ''I was deeply impressed by the beautiful marble statues in Jaipur and decided to bring home some tiles and paint on them. I have made five paintings on marble and ten on canvas. I wanted the marble skin effect on the women of my paintings I guess!'' she laughs.
Sripriya acknowledges that she is no professional. ''I am just a toddler. I am completely untrained. But I believe that the first man who painted was not trained by anyone,'' she justifies. ''For me, all my paintings are my children since I have created each figure,'' she adds. And who are her biggest critics? ''My daughter Sneha and my mother correct my work. Though I get upset, I later discover that they are right and make the changes,'' she says.
Painting for a cause
Sripriya has not only rekindled her pet passion, but is also set to use all her paintings for a good cause. She tells us how. ''My father died of diabetes and mother-in-law succumbed to cancer. When I started painting six months ago, I suddenly thought that I could use this talent for a good cause. That's when I decided to have a sale of my paintings and donate the money for the cause of diabetes and cancer patients,'' says Sripriya. But the painting sale will be a novel one. For on March 5, her exhibition and sale will not include the original paintings on canvas but will be converted onto 5,000 greeting cards that she has printed with her own funds, with her paintings on each card. ''I wanted to keep the originals and thought that cards are something everyone can afford to buy. That way it will help the cause and I know a lot of my friends and others will come forward to support this good cause. This way, I feel I would be contributing something which I have made with my own hands and with my own funds.'' Clearly the lady doesn't believe in cheque book charity. Satisfying a personal passion while serving society in a unique manner, clearly Sripriya is one actor who is setting a novel example. Her actions speak louder than her words.
Sripriya filmography
Sripriya has acted in 300 films in the Southern languages, including 200 in Tamil, beginning her career with 'Murugan Kattiya Vazhi' in 1973. Her favourite films are 'Murugan Kaattiya Vazhi', 'Aval Oru Thodar Kathai', 'Attukkara Alamelu', 'Neeya', 'Aval Appadithan', and 'Vasanthathil oru Naal' .
She has acted with all the top heroes including Rajnikanth and Kamalhassan ( 'Illamai Oojal Aadigirathu', 'Billa' etc)
She has directed several TV serials, like 'Viduthalai' and the recent Simran Thirai. She has acted in several successful teleserials like 'Anandam' and 'Imsai Arasigal'. She has also directed four films (two in Tamil and two in Kannada).
Married to actor Rajkumar, they have two children Sneha and Nagarjun. She made a comeback to the big screen with 'Kannamoochi Yenada' directed by Priya V. With 'Singakutty', she turned producer, where she introduced her nephew Sivaji as hero.
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