Winning on her own terms
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Slowly but steadily, Sneha has been going places. In a casual chat with MALATHI RANGARAJAN the actress touches upon her career, her family and much more.
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"IT'S A big film for me ... I'm excited and a little nervous," says a chirpy Sneha. The project in discussion is the Tamil remake of the Hindi blockbuster "Munnabhai M.B.B.S," starring Kamal Hassan and Sneha. The two had earlier come together in "Pammal K. Sambandham" but then she had been paired with Abbas and Kamal with Simran.
You feel at home, sitting with Sneha in the comfortable dining hall of her flat — she makes you feel so. Her sister Sangeetha, who is also Sneha's costume designer, is busy giving instructions for the next shoot as Sneha settles down for a chat.
Her responses are spontaneous and her approach, friendly. Twenty-two films in three years is a significant achievement for an actress especially when she has her own code of dos and don'ts. So far you've not seen Sneha in a revealing costume or doing intimate scenes with her heroes.
"Simple ... because I'm not comfortable doing them. I don't wear shorts ... only of late have I begun to feel ok with sleeveless outfits ... and I can go only that far ... " Sneha has lost out on big banners because of such stipulations, but she doesn't mind.
"This is how I am at home," she points out to the simple green, cotton salwar-kameez she's wearing, "and this is how I like to project myself on screen ... the typical girl next door." It is this kind of role in "Autograph" that has fetched her encomiums from every quarter. With hardly any make-up on, the working girl she portrays, has endeared her to filmgoers. "Even as director Cheran narrated my role I was moved to tears. It would have looked ridiculous if I had cried with my lipstick and eyeliner intact. Make-up and costume should blend well with the mood of the scene. " Her casual outfits in "Autograph"— trousers and churidhar sets — so typical of a young working woman suited her very well. "Tell my sister that ... she'll be thrilled ," she calls out to her sister and repeats the compliment.
The youngest of four, Sneha's two elder brothers are in Dubai. The family was living in Sharjah when she got her first offer. A function at the Sharjah cricket stadium brought her face to face with Mammootty and Mohanlal. She was asked whether she would like to do a Malayalam film opposite Chakkochan (Kunjakko Boban). "My sister and I were thrilled but my dad and brothers were apprehensive ... " Naturally — nobody in the family was even remotely connected with the film industry. "`Mom and I will go and see ... if things don't seem good I'll stop with just this film,' I said." Thus "Inganae Oru Neela Pakshi" marked her debut. Then came the chance to star in "Virumbugiraen" in Tamil with Prashanth as hero and Susi Ganesan as director. Just this week she's begun working with Prashanth again for "Aayudham."
Sneha tries to mentally distance herself from the result of her films. "I do my best and move on ... And cinema is a unified effort. None can predict its success or failure ... ," she philosophises. There was a time when she was distressed when the media or the industry indulged in negative publicity. Not any more. "Films have also given me so much name and fame ... so I've just learnt to live with the gossip and grapevine." Sneha flashes one of her bewitching smiles. Still when people blame her for a flop, she finds it very unfair. "I've done four Telugu films so far — "Priyamae Neeku" (dubbed in Tamil as "Kadhal Sugamanadhu"), "Tholi Valappu", "Hanuman Junction" and the recently released "Venki" with Ravi Teja, which is doing very well. Three of them have been major hits. Many of my Tamil flicks have also done good business ... but I must concede that in general, all journalists have been nice to me." Her diplomacy is commendable.
"Adhu" is a thriller that Sneha is now working on. "Immediately the speculation was I am doing it because there were no other offers," she laughs.
"It's not so at all ... without blood, gore or extreme violence, `Adhu' is a suspense film of a different kind. " So how does she manage to keep her cool? "I do get angry. But I control it when others are around, come home and let off steam. Basically I'm very close to my family. "
Sneha listens to the story and discusses it with her folks, before she signs on the dotted line. "I make my conditions clear beforehand so that there are no problems later ... " "Bose" with Srikanth will be another much-expected release of hers.
"A decade from now, I should be able to talk with pride about my work and sit with my husband and in-laws and watch my films. I don't want my on-screen attire or portrayal, embarrass my mother in law who would have to leave the room `to make a cup of coffee.'" The parting words and the captivating smile linger for long.
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