At a time when people look to retire even before they hit their 40s, R Subbulakshmi proves she is different. The septuagenarian, who will turn 80 years in the next few months, is now busy promoting her next Tamil film, Ammani, in which she plays the lead.
“I don’t think of retirement. In fact, I don’t like people calling me Paati (Grandma). When they do so, I feel they are referring to someone else. I am young at heart and I am able to do what I do because of that,” says Subbulakshmi, who, sources say, has done a commendable job as the lead in director Lakshmi Ramakrishnan’s film that is all set to hit screens soon.
“Ammani revolves around just two characters and I am one of them. I play the role of a rag picker, who, after living prosperously, battles bad times. Although misfortune has befallen Ammani, she doesn’t lose her sense of self-respect and is content with her life,” says Subbulakshmi. The other important character is that of Salamma, which is played by the director herself. “This character has a huge family burden to bear and struggles a lot. However, despite her difficulties, she spares a room for Ammani in her home. There is a bond that develops between the two — almost like a mother and daughter,” she explains about the film.
How did she get this role? “I played Trisha’s grandmother in the film Vinnai Thaandi Varuvaaya (2010). Lakshmi Ramakrishnan was part of that project too and we became friends on the sets of this film. She had then said, ‘I too will be making a movie and I want to make you act it’. She remembered her promise and approached me for this project. I accepted it immediately and I think I have delivered the performance that was expected of me,” she smiles.
Interestingly, Subbulakshmi has acted in over 60 movies from 2002 when she first made her debut as an actor in Nandanam. “Prithviraj was the hero of the film. Both of us made our debut in the same film,” she chuckles and discloses that she has acted in films made Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, Malayalam and even English. “I did a film called In the name of God,” she adds.
Subbulakshmi was a music artiste in the 1950s who worked in All India Radio. “I began singing in 1951, then became a music artiste and a short tile later, a music composer. I was among the first woman composers in Kerala and scored music in 1972,” she recalls proudly.
After retirement, she taught music privately to a few kids in her neighbourhood. “In 1996, I did an ad for Horlicks, which became immensely popular. The director of the ad offered to cast me in two episodes in a TV serial and it was then that film offers began to come my way,” she says. As we prepare to leave, she thanks us and reminds us to thank everybody including her producer and director on her behalf before wishing everyone a happy Deepavali. “May your light shine,” she smiles.