Last week, Aishwarya Rajesh was trending on Twitter, following an interview where she called out the lack of opportunities for home-grown heroines. Knowing her, this frank talk is par for the course. Does she ever fear a backlash for her views? “I’m stating facts and am not lying. My only hope is that if all actresses speak, it will reach the ears of at least some directors. In the comments section of these interviews, barring a few, most identified with what I spoke about. I don’t speak just for myself. We have fine actors such as Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Janani Iyer, Dhansika, Nivetha Pethuraj… they all speak good Tamil. Ignoring them and choosing someone who does not even know the language or lip-sync well is not right,” says Aishwarya, who admires actors such as Simran and Khushboo who took great effort to speak in Tamil. “I also loved the effort Tamannaah put in Dharmadurai . All I’m saying is: please cast to suit the character.”
Aishwarya was seen in glorified cameos in two recent films — Lakshmi and Saamy Square . Why does an actor who makes heads turn with her performance have to work in two-bit roles in star vehicles? “Let me put it this way. In the kind of films offered to me, I don’t even get the role of a city-based college girl. How do I let people know I can do sophisticated, contemporary roles too? Whatever people think of me in these films, they will hopefully never say she was bad in this role.”
Considering the thinking person that she is, how does she reconcile her performance-based movies with commercial fare? “But, where do I get offered commercial films?” she laughs. So, does an actor’s skin tone still matter in the industry? All she’ll say is: “I am not trying to change my colour.”
September and October are busy months for Aishwarya as she has two films due for release — Mani Ratnam’s Chekka Chivantha Vaanam and Vetrimaaran’s Vada Chennai . There’s also Arun Raja Kamraj's sports drama Kanaa , produced by actor Sivakarthikeyan. Each of these casts her differently. “I shot for Kanaa and CCV almost simultaneously, and it feels like I’ve been a part of Vada Chennai all my life. “ Kanaa is a rare opportunity; it’s about women’s cricket and they’ve trusted me with this film. I trained for nearly four hours every day with three coaches. I’ve played a senior citizen in Malayalam ( Sakhavu ) and a 55-year-old in Hindi, and I wanted to look the part of a school girl and a player. And yes, I can now play a decent game of cricket!”
In a way, does it make her happy that one of the top actors in the industry is investing in her film? “Well, if I’d played his heroine, I might have just acted with him, but here, he’s betting on my ability to deliver, and that makes me happy.”
In CCV , Aishwarya plays a Sri Lankan girl. “Mani sir is a legend, and I would keep having conversations to try and decipher the director I grew up idolising. He’s one person who celebrates you when you do a good job. To hear, ‘Ash, super Ash’ would feel so good. At the same time, he will notice when you’re not in your zone. His ‘It’s not you, the magic is missing. Are you okay?’ will prompt you to give a perfect shot. He gave me a trainer for the accent, and my character is that of a bold, strong girl. On his sets, I picked up the why and how of the magic we have come to associate with his movies.”
Mention Vada Chennai , and all Aishwarya will say is “Therikkum theatre-la” (It will rock in the theatres). “It’s very different working with Vetrimaaran. If he’s happy with your shot, all he will tell you is, ‘Good job, go do what you have to next’. Where he scores is in dubbing. I almost acted the entire film again in the dubbing theatre. After one film with him, you’ll be an actor with an experience like none other.”
The actor is quite happy with her current pace of working, but says she’s looking forward to more varied roles, like the kind actors did in the 80s and early 90s. “Revathy, Radhika and Suhasini Maam, Gautami, Simran, Sneha… how I cherish their films,” says Aishwarya, who is also part of Gautham Vasudev Menon’s Dhruva Natchathiram with Vikram.
In her journey to the top, Aishwarya says she’s also picked up some life lessons. “One must never compromise on finances, and confuse personal friendships with professional charges.” And, she laughs, “Tantrums probably work. I’m yet to try and throw one though!”
