Having given some stunning and award winning performances especially the 2006 Tamil film 'Paruthi Veeran' which won her a National Film Award for Best Actress, Priyamani is definitely in the top league. Now, with her latest film, 'Charulatha,' she seems to strengthen her niche position.
“'Charulatha' is a story of conjoined twins, and with my knowledge about Kannada or other language films, such a script has not been experimented before. We are placing a new subject in front of the audience,” revealed Priyamani, who has taken her time to come up with something so different.
“The regular formula is always there. This is one of its kind, which had a lot of scope for performance with a bit of glamour as it is a commercial film,” she said. The Kannada film directed by P Kumar and produced by Dwarkish and his son, Yogesh has been appreciated well before the film completes shoot. The rushes of Charulatha have garnered attention from other languages and it will now be made in Tamil and Telugu with the same cast. “Well, the makers in Tamil were pretty interested when we were half way through our shoot. Later, people from Tollywood were also keen to be part of the film,” she explains.
The heroine who has raw talent mixed with conviction is aiming for yet another national award through 'Charulatha'. That is one of the reasons, Priyamani is also dubbing for the film. Shedding light on the characters, she said, “The double role will have one character who is innocent and the other, quite tomboyish. I would say I did some extensive work. As the story is about conjoined twins, there are particular situations where both girls should come together, for which some extra effort was needed.” Rarely does a leading actress credit the ‘double’, but Priyamani wholeheartedly credits her body double in the movie. “Hats off to the other girl, who came in as my substitution in some scenes. She has put in a good amount of hard work and has done complete justice to the character, “she says.
Commenting on the extent to which Priyamani, a director’s delight, depended on director Kumar, she said, “I totally went by his instinct, whose previous film was Vishnuvardhana, a huge hit. But in general, I clarify my doubts and I am inclined to suggestions, if necessary because I will be the one who will be facing the audience. I saw bits and pieces of 'Charulatha' from a third person point of view and I am sure it will be fresh for the audience.” While other top league actresses concentrated on being the heroes arm candy on screen, Priyamani is looking for substance in her movies. “There is no point in going on a signing spree, though, at least a dozen of subjects come my way every other day, “ says the actress, whose last Anna Bond is currently running in theatres. She has another Kannada film, Lakshmi opposite Shivarajkumar. “I am happy as long as I am part of a good project, director and production house. But finally the end result is not in my hands,” she says.
An actress who unveils her talent in the given screen space, she is among the few who have created a mark. “I am not too fussy about screen space. At the end of the day, my character should stay in the minds of the audience. For example, my role in Vishnuvardhana was small but it was pretty much talked about,” she stated.
Of late, with heroines being highly paid, Priyamani maintains that if an actress is in demand ,then there is no reason why she should be underpaid. “Why is so much being discussed regarding a heroines’ pay package? If the producers are willing to pay considering her to be the lucky mascot, I think there is nothing wrong,” she concludes.