For an actor with over 150 films to her credit, several of them with the legends of South Indian cinema, Meena has no starry airs. Her charming demeanour and easy-going nature instantly puts others around her at ease. Set to make a comeback of sorts in Telugu cinema with Drushyam , a remake of the Malayalam film Drishyam , Meena is excited to see how it will work with the Telugu audience.
“The Malayalam version of the film did extremely well, with it running for more than 100 days in screens abroad as well. But when it was being re-made for the Telugu audience, extra care has been taken to ensure that it lives up to the benchmark the Malayalam one set,” says Meena, who acted in Drishyam opposite Mohanlal.
The actor plays a mother to teenaged girls in the film and says that the role is completely different from anything she has done in the past. “I’ve played roles that were bubbly, romantic or strong. But my role in Drushyam has a variety of shades; she is innocent, vulnerable, emotional, sweet, funny and strong all at the same time. It is rare to get such a character as a heroine. It was interesting to portray the character,” she says, adding that it was the script that drew her.
The actor, who had let her film career take a backseat after her marriage, couldn’t resist when the script for Drishyam was narrated to her.
Acting in a Telugu film after such a long gap was a wonderful experience she says. “There was a sense of familiarity and great comfort. The industry has made so many technological advancements. It was an interesting experience. Also I’ve worked with Venkatesh earlier as well and there has been this comfort level. Earlier I’d be very reserved and wouldn’t talk much. I was new to the industry and didn’t know the language very well; I was acting opposite stalwarts. But this time it was different, I was more confident and comfortable,” she laughs, adding, “Venkatesh garu is my lucky mascot. My first hit was Manavaralu , but it was Chanti that made people sit up and take notice. They realised that I could be heroine material.”
Meena was also sceptical about playing a mother to grown up kids. “I’ve played a role earlier where I played a mother to young kids. This time round it is teenaged kids. It was okay to do the role in Malayalam, the audience there don’t get into this whole image mania. They only look at the actor’s performance. But here things are different. I hope it is well received. However, it is an amazing character and I really enjoyed playing her,” she says.
While she is being flooded with offers, Meena is taking her time to choose a script. “I have heard several scripts, but I’m still to decide anything. I want to do different roles and after a film like Drushyam expectations have gone up. As of now though my focus is on my three-year-old daughter Nainika,” she smiles, adding, “I usually take her along to shoots, but once she joins school that will be difficult. So that will be another factor when I choose to sign a film.” For now Meena has her fingers crossed before the release of Drushyam .
