Actress of substance
SREEDHAR PILLAI
|
Meera Jasmine has made it big as a star and actress by dint of her talent and hard work.
|
PROFESSIONAL OUTLOOK: Meera jasmine says that her criteria for selecting a film depend more on the director than the hero.
She came out of the cold. No family ties or friends to connect her to tinsel town and had not seen life beyond Tiruvalla. But slowly and steadily she has emerged as one of the most successful actresses in Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu cinema.
Today, her name is synonymous with good cinema, after she bagged the State award for the best actress for `Kastoorimaan' and the National Award for `Padom Onnu Oru Vilapam.' She was able to strike a chord with her audience in films like `Swapnakoodu,' `Perumazhakalam' and `Achuvinte Amma,' which were critically acclaimed commercial hits.
Meera, who is in her twenties, is not your regular Malayali actress who is making hay doing run-of-the mill potboilers in Malayalam and Tamil, especially after she won the National Award, beating Aiswarya Rai and Sushmita Sen, for her performance as Shahina in T.V. Chandran's `Padom Onnu Oru Vilapam.'
Choosy about roles
Says Meera: "I am happy about the way my career is going as I have been able to bag good roles with good directors and fabulous scripts. The National Award has not only made me more responsible and committed towards my work but has also changed my outlook towards life. Only good scripts excite me and I am not in a hurry to sign more number of films but to do a handful of good characters that will give me satisfaction at the end of the day."
Remember that Meera has also done commercial films with superstars of Tamil, Telugu and Kannada with such stars as Vijay, Ajit, Pawan Kalyan, Ravi Teja and Puneeth Rajkumar.
Her role models
But now things have changed, as Meera aspires to be like her role models Shabana Azmi, Nandita Das and Tabu.
Meera was spotted by Blessy (who later made `Kazhcha') and he recommended her to Lohithadas who was looking out for a new face with an innocent look to be cast as the 15-year-old Shivani in `Sutradharan.'
Now after doing more than a dozen films in many languages, Meera says that "this character will remain close to my heart as the innocence of that character is something I will not be able to do now."
However, `Sutradharan' got a lukewarm reception at the box office and Meera would have faded into oblivion when Lady Luck came in the form of the Lingusamy directed `Run' opposite Madhvan, heartthrob of teenagers.
In fact, Meera was a last-minute replacement but the film catapulted her to instant fame and stardom, something she could not dream of in Malayalam. `Run' was a huge hit and soon she was flooded with offers from top stars.
After doing a handful of song 'n' dance routine and being a mere glam girl, Meera preferred to be an actress of substance. For that she has to thank T.V.Chandran for the author-backed role in `Padom Onnu Oru Vilapam.'
"To be the best actress in India is a big responsibility and I feel happy and proud. Shahina was a very different role, which I would rate as my career best. All credit goes to director T.V.Chandran and of course, I am thankful to God," confesses the actress. Now Meera is slowly but surely moving away from doing crass commercial films as she says: "There is more to life than doing glamour girl roles and I would never do a film with which I am not comfortable. My criterion is that I should enjoy what I am doing."
Lenin's film
In Malayalam, Meera is doing a Lenin Rajendran film, which is still untitled, opposite a rank newcomer.
Says Meera: "I signed the film after reading the script. The film is about a smart girl with an intellectual streak who has to face and overcome a difficult situation in life."
In Tamil she has completed the remake of her own `Kastoorimaan' with Prasanna in the lead with minor milieu changes, Lingusamy's `Sandakozhi' in which she has a role with a comic streak, and `Mercury Pookal' with Srikanth.
She is looking forward to a film that T.V.Chandran is directing in Tamil, which will start rolling by the end of the year.
Meera is also doing an off-beat film in Telugu for well-known director K.N.T. Sastry about the women of the Lambada tribe of Andhra Pradesh who are deprived of social, economic and educational rights.
The practice of female infanticide is the subject of this film, `My Daughter Kamali.'
Meera plays the central character and is now involved in doing research on the costumes and body language of the character.
When asked why Meera has been refusing to act opposite Mammootty and Mohanlal she is quick to explain: "I have the highest regards for Mammookka and Lal sir, as they are the finest actors in the country. I am looking forward to a script where my role with them would be justified and there is enough scope for me to perform."
She says that her criteria for selecting a film depends largely on the director than the hero. Meera says that she had an excellent rapport with all her directors, including Mani Ratnam, T.V. Chandran, Lohithadas, and Kamal.
About her elusive nature and her refusal to be pinned down, Meera concludes: "I have always played it straight. Everyone knows about the deep scars in my personal life and I want to leave them behind and throw myself into my work."
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Entertainment
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
