The curious case of Priyamani is a strange one
Actress Priyamani’s is a curious case of ‘unemployment’ in the South Indian movie industry. The dusky actress has everything an ideal actress can probably dream of: she has facial beauty, a curvaceous body, acting prowess, a national award for ‘best actress’ to boot and beyond everything else, she can actually dub in her own voice, a feat not achieved even by ‘original’ Tamil actresses like Sneha, Anjali and Trisha.
Priyamani had a forgettable release in ‘Arumugam’ opposite Bharath last year and followed it up with her brief outing in Maniratnam’s ‘Raavan’. Both the films failed at the box office, putting Priyamani promptly back in ‘Square A’. It’s a sad fact that despite her best efforts, she just doesn’t seem to be able to find the right way of landing offers in Tamil films!
After trying out glamourous avatars in ‘Thotta’ and ‘Malaikkottai’, Priyamani found out to her dismay that the Tamil audience liked to watch her mainly in deglamourized roles like the award-winning ‘Paruthiveeran’. She then moved to Tollywood, donned even a ‘bikini’ for a few films, and became one of the most sought-after actresses there.
Speaking about her predicament, Priyamani says, “I have realized my past mistakes and am determined not to repeat them in future. No actor/actress can demand and get a particular character in films. I have decided to make use of whatever opportunity is thrown at me.
“It’s a sad state of affairs that despite bagging the national award, I have not been among the top three or top five in the industry. I have already proved my worth as an actress; hereafter, I shall do all sorts of roles which give an actress the chance to experiment. I’m also aware that glamour is an integral part of an actress’ life and wouldn’t shun it altogether,” concludes Priyamani.
