From a salwar-clad heroine in Kaadhal Solla Vandhen, Meghana Raj turns ultra modern in Uyarthiru 420. Coming from a film background (her father Sundar Raj and mother Pramila are Kannada actors), Meghana wants to experiment with her characters and her looks.
“Sandhya (her character’s name in Kaadhal Solla Vandhen) is very soft-spoken and innocent. But in Uyarthiru 420, her character is stylish, confident and bold. I play a consultant in a car showroom. So I went for an image makeover,” she informs. “I’m very sure the audience wouldn’t point out anywhere in the film that my clothes don’t suit me. People will definitely like the character.” The movie will hit the screens in July.
When director Premnath told her that lyricist Snehan will play the hero, she was unsure of his acting skills. “I asked the director whether he could act, but after working with him, I was taken back. Snehan is a very genuine person and also a good actor,” praises the young heroine.
Talking about her foray into filmdom, Meghana says, “Though I grew up watching mom and dad acting, I never ever thought to become an actor. Back in my school, my friends used to tell me that I would definitely become an actor, but I was confident that I wouldn’t.”
But later, she developed interest in acting when K Balachander spotted her in her house. “He asked me whether I would like to act. I refused then. After a few years, he again saw me at a function and when he asked I didn’t refuse this time.”
Meghana made her film debut in Krishnaleelai, which is yet to release. “I don’t know why the film didn’t hit the screens. But then I did a Telugu and Kannada movie before doing Kaadhal Solla Vandhen,” says Meghana. The actor is also busy in the Malayalam film industry. “I’ve done six films so far including one with Sarathkumar,” she informs. Back in Tamil, she’s doing two films: Nandhaa Nandhitha and Kalla Siripazhaga. “I play a middle-class woman who struggles to make both ends meet in Nandhaa Nandhitha. It’s a performance-oriented role. In Kalla Siripazhaga, I play a clumsy girl. I enjoyed working in the movie,” she adds.
For her, being glamorous is about looking presentable on screen. “I don’t know another definition of glamorous actress. But for me it’s all about looking the best on screen.”
Meghana assures that the audiences would get to see her in different characters and no two movies of her will be same. Now that she’s become an actor acting in all the four South Indian languages, what’s her parents say? “They’re happy that I’m working hard and doing good movies. They say ‘Don’t go behind success and continue doing whatever you’re doing at present’. They support me in my choice of doing films,” says Meghana.