Kalyani Natarajan: ‘My base is home’

Despite her casual approach, Kalyani Natarajan has had a successful stint in Tamil and Telugu films

Kalyani Natarajan is a content actor. She got her first film after she turned 40 and she is glad she got it late. We recently noticed her as the soft spoken dignified mom to Sharwanand in Maruti’s Mahanubhavudu .

She says, “All this happened after marriage and kids. I didn’t don’t aspire to this movie line at all. Now my mom is rather proud of me and says I would have become a heroine had I debuted before marriage and had she encouraged me. Acting does give me adrenalin rush but I am very careful about the films I take and I try to make sure that I am into a comfortable project. I don’t mind a strict and an angry director but I need a safe project.”

Diverse interests

A Tamilian born and brought up in Mumbai, Kalyani is well read and articulate. With a degree in English Literature and a qualified early childhood education teacher, she put in a stint as a travel consultant too. Despite not being pro-active, I must say I am lucky to be called by talented and happening directors. She was into Tamil theatre with a Mumbai-based group Clean Slate Theatre. How did she get a break into movies? “Since it is a community, and when someone needed a South Indian for a commercial, they would refer me. And that is how I got into advertisements. I did around 15 commercials, not more as I am too lazy to travel in Mumbai for auditions. If people have seen my earlier work and they rope me in, I am okay to do it.”

Kalyani made her debut with a tiny role in the Tamil film

Settai , and followed it up with many succesful big movie banners. She terms her role in Settai a flash in the pan and quips, “AL Vijay was shooting for Thalaiva. The next time he called me for Saivam and we shot at Karaikudi for 38 days. It was my first time away from home and I had the most positive experience. Despite not being pro-active, I must say I am lucky to be called by talented and happening directors. Right now I have two films, one a Vikram Prabhu starrer and then Kayal Chandran movie.”

She adds, “My first Telugu film was

Dictator , second was

Mahanubhavudu . I learnt camera angles only while doing

Saivam . I think I did good work but nothing spectacular.”

This beautiful mother of a 21 and 18 year olds admits that Tamil film directors want minimum or no make up at all but in Telugu, they are okay to have a mother look glamorous.

Cautious approach

Considering she keeps stressing on safetywe ask if character artistes too face inappropriate behaviour on the sets. She replies, “There is no age bar for inappropriate behaviour, but I use my wisdom to keep wrong people away. I might not have been able to do this if I were young due to lack of perspective or guidance. My base is home, so I pick my films, hopefully, well. If something bad ever happens, it takes a moment for me to chuck it because my priorities are different. I am lot more savvy now, even in handling my finances.”

Her best critics are her sons, her husband and her mother in law. She remarks, “Mothers are always ecstatic, even if it is one scene. The rest of the family are blunt about it.”