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Bestowed with bliss

Photo: H. Satish

Lady of substance Vijayanirmala

Can you be beautiful and emotionally secure at the same time? Can you be an actress of calibre and yet derive joy from your immense talent and from the people around you? Yes, you can, if you’re Vijayanirmala! Vijayanirmala has lived a whole li fe living up to what other people expected her to be and also derived satisfaction and happiness from it. The beautiful actress, already married, made an interesting combination with Krishna on screen in her hey days. Their friendship was not sudden, it developed over a period of time and she says they complemented each other perfectly. The industry was shocked when the otherwise shy and happening onscreen couple married without the media gaze in Tirupati. The lady calls it “the most happy and rewarding moment” of her life. That she hold the Guinness Book of Records for being the ‘female director who directed more number of films’, is only a feather in her cap!

Vijayanirmala looks cool, radiates happiness as she stands in her sprawling garden, recollecting those moments. It may have been a controversial issue because of the existence of Krishna’s first wife Indira and her children, but the actor’s entry was truly a blissful event in her life. For the first time Vijayanirmala drops her defences and allows you a peak into her persona.

Recollecting her first encounter with Krishna the actress says, “Bapu called us for a meeting for our first film Sakshi together. That was when I saw him. I thought he was different, had immense respect for women and above all his generous nature was something I fell for. We went for an outdoor shoot for 30 days in Pullidhindi and at a temple we were supposed to get married for a climax scene and Raja Babu the comedian remarked that anyone who marries here will have a long lasting relationship. Little did we realise that two months from there we would be united in matrimony. He proposed to me during Sarkar Express.”

Didn’t it bother her that she was getting attracted to an already married man? Vijaynirmala flashes an unapologetic smile and says, “When he proposed I told him to give me some time to think about it but I was very happy deep inside. My father observed him at the shooting spots, his father too gave us his consent.”

What about Krishna’s family? Did she worry about how they’d receive the news? She says, “there was no acrimony at all. Ramesh, Manju, Priya were all small. They would come home frequently, Priya and Mahesh in particular would like my cooking. Priya would ask me to climb the gates and play with her. I would join her in making boats. I love them and I never treat Naresh (her son by her previous marriage) or the kids separately. My sister (Indira) is a very good lady. I have never seen any trace of jealousy and insecurity and she has always treated me with love. Even during Manju’s wedding she would say, ‘anni nuvve choosukovali’. I would have been nowhere without my sister’s support. She tr usts me and has immense confidence in me. She knows I can be very responsible. She never treated me like an outsider and if the families are living separately it’s because the children have grown up and they like their space and my sister prefers to stay with the eldest son.”

The actress cum director guffaws at the mention that her family has certified her as a good cook. Krishna garu and Priya love the bhendi to remain green, they don’t like it when it changes colour. Even when Mahesh comes home, our discussions mostly revolve around food. Even while shooting abroad, I used to carry my cooking kit and would cook for the whole unit. Till date we have never eaten at hotels. I find cooking very therapeutic and of course I cherish the compliments that I get from Krishna garu after every meal. I handpick vegetables for him from our garden because he’s very fussy.”

It is no exaggeration to say that Vijayanirmala holds the family together by extending her genuine affection towards everyone. But the humble actress says, “they are all good human beings and I’m proud to say that though we are not millionaires we have earned plenty of good will that will last for generations to come.”

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