Mani is a chronic romantic: Suhasini Maniratnam

The Proust Questionnaire is a weekly feature which derives its name from the French writer Marcel Proust, whose personality-revealing responses to these questions went on to popularise this form of celebrity confession.

June 28, 2016 12:00 pm | Updated September 16, 2016 04:53 pm IST

Illustration: Ramakrishnan M.

Illustration: Ramakrishnan M.

What is your idea of happiness?

Sitting on a comfortable bean bag watching a movie with Mani and we both end up loving it. We might not talk for an hour after that and after a quiet dinner, how we start discussing it. It could be a Krzysztof Kieślowski film.

What is your greatest fear?

The sound of water… actually the sound of waterfalls. I can’t deal with the sound of pouring water. I remember going to Malaysia and we were at a pond. We were swimming to reach the place behind the waterfall. But I froze at the sound of water. I could not swim back. Mani and a friend had to literally carry me back.

After the tsunami struck, I was there every morning at Marina Beach to see the Nochchikuppam fisherfolk. I could only lend moral support.

And then the deluge happened last December. We lost a lot but the water brought in a new awareness of being helpful and compassionate. It brought a new dimension to humanity. Hopefully, I won’t fear the sound of water anymore.

Which historical figure do you most identify with?

King Ashoka. After a win, one always wonders what it was all about. When one witnesses misery and loss, one does not have the liberty to celebrate personal wins. When I see poverty around, it churns my heart.

Which living person do you most admire?

Vandhana Senthil. The young first-year Ethiraj college student who gave up her cushy life after she saw a mentally challenged woman half-naked on the road. She started The Banyan over two decades ago. She never ceases to amaze me.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

My temper. I hate myself seconds after I’ve gotten angry but it’s too late by then. I start defending my actions after that. It’s shameful.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?

Easily accepting mediocrity. Celebrating banal work. Populism. Trying to go along with the tide only because you fear you’ll be singled out.

What is your greatest extravagance?

My parents and their well-being comes before my work. I didn’t direct a film because my father needed my support and care then. But I am fine with that choice. For a daughter, no film is more important than her father.

What is your favourite journey?

To Maldives with my son and husband. We went twice when he was a child. We don’t go there as often as he's doing his doctorate in Oxford.

Who is your favourite painter?

Rembrandt for his chiaroscuro. The lighting in his paintings is a lesson for any cinematographer. I also love Ravi Varma for celebrating Indian beauty...I lose myself when I see his paintings.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?

Religious discipline when misplaced. Piousness or blind faith.

On what occasion do you lie?

When someone wants me as a chief guest for a school annual day function or as a speaker on Women’s Day.

I fall ill the next moment from asthma or paralysis.

What do you dislike most about your appearance?

I am basically okay with everything. But I have a symmetry problem with my eyebrows. I feel one is higher.

There’s nothing I can do but remain surprised with one brow most of my life.

Which living person do you most despise?

I can never despise a person, only what he does. Oh there are plenty of actions I despise.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

Okay okay. Bye Bye. Thank you. Thank you. Talk to you later.

What is your greatest regret?

That I never learned to play a musical instrument and that I didn’t pursue a sport. The fact that I didn’t learn to read Hindi. These are a few of my million regrets.

What or who is the greatest love of your life?

My love is music ...I do not give too much importance to love and romance. Having said that, Mani is my greatest love. He's a chronic romantic.

When and where were you happiest?

When our Hasan family reconciled with my uncle in September, 2009 in Chennai. Ego and righteousness of the previous generation cost us 20 years of divide. We sorted it out in 2009.

What is your present state of mind?

Cluttered, raring to go, active, crowded, into too many things but very calm and content.

How would you like to die?

I should not even know I am dying. Preferably while I’m on an aircraft ....but that will be cruel to all the other passengers. So dying in my sleep would be better.

What is your favourite motto?

If there is no pain, there is no gain.

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