Suhasini - Platinum Woman: Suhasini Maniratnam - an
actress, a director, a TV personality and an enduring icon in
the south Indian film industry today. She is also the Femina
Platinum woman.
We believe Suhasini’s a Platinum Woman because:
# She broke away from a traditional upbringing to follow her
dream. “My mother didn’t speak to me for months when I decided
to join the film institute in Madras. She’d have preferred that
I joined a professional course, like engineering, or been a
doctor like my sister.”
# She became an actress by accident, but made a success out of
it. “I was to be the camera assistant for my first film
Nenjaththai Killathe and Padmini Kholapuri was to play the lead.
She couldn’t make it, so I stepped in for her, and the rest as
they say, was destiny.
The movie (made in 1981, where I play a confused teenager who
runs away from problems and gets into a love triangle) was a big
hit and remains one of my best acting performances to date.”
Being Kamal Hasan’s niece, Charu Hasan’s daughter and
Maniratnam’s wife, didn’t dilute her own fame. “They’re all
progressive men and have always encouraged me.”
# She decided to have an arranged marriage when ‘falling in
love’ was the done thing. “I decided I would be different and
not just follow a trend! Mani was my father’s choice.”
# She chooses her roles with conviction. “I don’t have to do a
film for the money, and I don’t have to be a part of the rat
race if I don’t want to be.”
# Because she can be beautiful without trying too hard! “I’m
fashion conscious but not excessively - especially if it is at
the cost of my comfort. I don’t simply go for the ‘in’ thing.”
# For winning an international award for the Best Film as the
film maker for Indira . “It was a big thrill and a personal
milestone!”
# She pushes politics away on principle. “I’d love to have
political ambition for the sheer power of it all! But a good
politician has to be selfless. I don’t think any actor is
selfless!”
# Because she is secure about being insecure! “I think every
film person is insecure at some level. When you are successful,
you worry that the next film should be as successful or better.
When you’re unsuccessful, you are out to prove something. If
you’re talented and your last film wasn’t too successful, it’s
easier to handle the next one because you can work harder and
remain positive about it.”
# For being a super star yet refreshingly down to earth. “It’s
tough to remain down to earth when you are surrounded by a
make-believe world of glamour. You can get confused. But if you
have strong convictions in your youth, it’s difficult to change
radically.” # For her feminist streak. “Lots of people would
describe me as a go-getter who doesn’t just take things
passively. My husband does get annoyed at the way I segregate
life into ‘man-things’ and ‘woman-things’. The other day I said
that it was a ‘girl thing’ to like paneer , and he got really
upset, and said the world was not only about women.”
# For having few regrets, after acting in over a 100 movies!
“It’s wonderful to look back and see how far I’ve come!”
Suhasini chose this platinum set because:
# “It had more platinum in it. I loved the triangular and
geometric dimensions, and the sheer beauty of the clear-cut
lines. Although Antoni Gaudi, the Spanish architect, would call
it unrealistic. According to him, all forms should take their
shape from nature, and his buildings don’t have straight lines.
They tend to be like tree trunks with leaves, etc.
# “There is something unique about platinum since it is precious
without being ostentatious. Unlike gold, platinum is very
subtle, and there’s a certain dignity to it. I do identify with
it, because it is strong. I think, I project a gold image but I
could be Platinum inside... my husband would agree with that one
hundred percent!” |
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