Priyamani 'I have no scenes with Aishwarya in Raavan'
Working with Mani Ratnam is a dream come true for any actor.Priyamani is one of the lucky few to work with the ace director in the upcoming bilingual Raavan (Raavanan in Tamil) starring Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan and Vikram. There is also a Telugu dubbed version, Villain.
With Raavan, she's making her debut in Hindi and proving her versatility not just by acting but by dubbing the movie in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu too.
Priyamani also has Ram Gopal Varma's Raktha Charitra in her kitty.
In this exclusive interview, the young actress tells us more about the experience of acting in Raavan. Excerpts:
What was your initial reaction when you were offered Raavan, a Mani Ratnam film?
I was jumping over the moon when I got the call from Madras Talkies. I was on the next flight to Chennai to meet Mani Sir. I had met him while travelling from Mumbai to Goa for the International Film Festival of India in 2008. He had seen Paruthiveeran and said I need to show more of my acting and go a step further. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect a call from Madras Talkies.
Did you agree to do it immediately or did you listen to the script narration?
Mani Sir told me about the role but not the whole story. I said yes right away.
What was the factor which made you sign the film?
The sheer experience of working with Mani Sir. The fact that he considered me for the role in the film. Anyone in the industry would have said yes. Even if the role isn't big, there is substance to each of his characters.
Are you happy you are doing a Mani Ratnam film so early in your career?
Of course. Why not? I am lucky that I am part of a prestigious project like Raavan.
Did you have to relocate your dates to accommodate Raavan?
Not really. As per the contract, they specified the dates I had to be there. So I made sure that at that point I would be available whenever they called.
Are you playing the same role in Hindi and Tamil? How challenging was it to do the shots twice?
Yes. It was pretty challenging. I had to switch from one language to the another. I also had to change the looks and appearance while shooting for each language.