Frothy, light or nuanced, Priya Anand brings a touch of spontaneity to her roles. In a career spanning five years and 15 films, including small-budget experiments and mid-sized formulas, the actor seems to have cracked the code to survive in Kollywood. “It’s about sweat and simplicity,” says the actor, as she looks ahead self-assuredly for the release of Oru Oorla Rendu Raja and Vai Raja Vai .
A text message is enough to get the Chennai girl, who is presently location-hopping, dubbing for films, and even sitting through editing sessions “out of interest”, to open up. “It’s a rarity for heroines to get solo songs. But in Oru Oorla Rendu Raja , director R. Kannan has given me an exclusive number. He has an elegant way of portraying women. The song was choreographed by Brinda master and I totally enjoyed her moves. The director, who insists on discussions with his crew at every point during film-making, allowed me to be present when the song was being edited. It was a learning experience.”
While OORR with actors Vemal and Suri promises laughter, the just released Irumbu Kuthirai is action packed, and takes the audience through turbo-charged streets. Speed breakers come in the form of soft romantic interludes. “It’s a mainstream commercial and I play a light-hearted girl. The whole shoot was like a vacation with long schedules in Puducherry. Atharva, cinematographer Gopi Amarnath, and I would go on gastronomic trips to shore-side shacks after shoots.”
In Irumbu Kuthirai, Priya works once again with a first-time director, Yuvaraj Bose. One of the few actors with the courage to have worked with several newcomers, she smilingly says, “Why not? If a producer is willing to put his money on a fresher, there must be something about the director. Whether it’s Gauri Shinde of English Vinglish, in which Priya shared screen space with her ‘idol’ Sridevi or Anand Shankar of Arima Nambi , most debut-making directors have proven that they are no less talented than seasoned hands at wielding the megaphone. Vannakkam Chennai (Kruthiga Udhayanidhi), Ethir Neechal (Durai Senthil Kumar), Pugaipadam (Rajesh Lingam) and Vaamanan (Ahmed)… I’m sure the list will grow longer with time. I will not shy away from working with new names.”
Priya has another unique distinction: she has worked with three famous star sons — Vikram Prabhu, Atharva and Gautham Karthik, whose fathers Prabhu, Murali and Karthik were hugely popular in the 80s and the 90s. “All three are fun to work with. Though they have grown up watching the adulation their dads enjoyed, they are down-to-earth on the sets. I knew Gautham even before he became an actor. But I’m crazy about his dad. In fact, whenever we are together, I ask about Karthik.” In Vai Raja Vai, a romantic thriller by Aishwarya Dhanush, another star child, Priya teams up with Gautham, and says, “A lot happens on a cruise along the Singapore route. Keep guessing…”
Priya breezed into Kollywood with the lilting ‘Oru Devathai’ number (also known as the ‘Priya song’) in Vaamanan. Is it time for heavyweight roles, particularly after the success of Arima Nambi? “My character in Arima Nambi is intricately etched. Eventually, I want to play roles that will make audiences think only Priya could have pulled it off, but this is not a race. For now, I just want to be part of good projects; it doesn’t matter if that means light, fun roles.” In fact, she has made this space her own — fluffy roles that light up the frames.
Priya speaks English with a strong American accent but her Tamil reveals she is quintessentially a Chennai girl who “loves every bit of the city.” She moved to the U.S. in her teens and completed schooling there, before going to the University of Albany to study Communication and Journalism. “My one-point agenda at that time was to work as a director with the acclaimed Shankar. I’d watched all his films in the U.S., where my only connection to India was films. I loved the way Shankar weaved messages into his ‘super mass’ films. One Margazhi season when I visited India, costume designer Priya Manigandan saw me at a dance recital and suggested I try modelling. People saw my ads and offered me roles, and that’s how I got into acting instead of direction!” says the actor, who speaks half-a-dozen languages including Spanish. “Unlike many Chennai girls, I dub for my own films. I don’t have a film background and don’t take anything for granted in the industry. In fact, of the 15 films I have done, I have auditioned for 12.”
And what does she do when she’s not shooting? She hangs around with friends and bakes cakes! “That’s my latest passion. Whenever I get time, I look up easy cake recipes on the Net. I just baked banana bread and a chocolate cake. Mmmm….”
