How it happened
Hailing from Visakhapatnam, I came to Chennai in 1980 to study in the film institute. With the dream of becoming an actor, I stayed back and started scouting for chances. It was a time when shooting for films in all the southern languages would take place in Chennai. Director K. Viswanath was kind enough to give me a role in the Telugu film Subhalekha , due to which I came to be known as Subhalekha Sudhakar. Then came my first Tamil film, Thunai , directed by Durai.
How it felt
It was a big day for me when my name and face flashed on the screen. I can't forget that experience. I was lean and enthusiastic. All of us are good actors but only some are destined to shine in the field. Luck plays a major role in each one's life. Post- Subhalekha , I got many offers in Telugu. So far I've done 98 films in that language. But in Tamil, I have very few films to my credit — Nesam, Rakshagan, Priyamana Thozhi, Kuruthipunal and the recent Ayan .
How life changed
Not much, except that people recognise me wherever I go. What we considered a luxury such as car and bungalow has now become a necessity. For me, television has become a big asset — it quenches my thirst for doing good roles. I feel cinema is a glamour world and TV, a popular world. In cinema, they call you by your name whereas on television they call you by the name of your character. I'm now busy with various serials such as “Thendral” and “Madhavi”.
