Two things fans just refused to stop talking about was how they are all fans of Suhasini Mani Ratnam’s Kannada films, and how she’s Kannadada magalu (a daughter of Kannada), as one fan insisted. And of course, her thousand-watt smile.
The issue of language raised its head right at the beginning of the seminar, when people requested her to do the entire seminar in Kannada. “ Idu international film festival alwa ? So I will speak in English," she said with her disarming smile.
Demonstrating her grasp of the four predominant south Indian languages, she said "We south Indians are clannish and comfortable about our languages. Kannada was easy for me to learn because it's casual and easy; no frills, unlike Tamil. Kannada is close to reality," she said, to much cheer and clapping.
Suhasini pointed out that all her four films in 2015 were Kannada ones. Filmmaker Rajendra Singh Babu, whose film Bandhana made her popular in the world of Kannada cinema, urged her to write the script for a Kannada film that he will produce and her husband Mani Ratnam will direct. Just two days ago, Mani Ratnam had committed to make another Kannada film.
Babu's sister Vijayalakshmi Singh, popularly known as Munni, recalled how Suhasini always called to ask recipes of Bisi Bele Bhath and avarekai saaru . "I love the food of Karnataka and all the side dishes I make at home are recipes I learnt here. Your masala dose is even better," said Suhasini.
The ‘secret’When actor Jaimala asked the question that many were itching to, about the clashes in married life when your partner is also a creative person, Suhasini said she would give the answer only if everyone in the auditorium promised to keep it a secret. She did tell us, but we have kept our promise.
