With stars like Asin and Genelia leading a new Southern invasion, more Tollywood stars are setting their sights on Bollywood. Amongst these is talented actress Priyamani, currently enjoying a hit with Hareram.
The actress, known also for her glam roles, recently won a National Award for her work in the Tamil film Paruthiveeran, the Filmfare South Award and the Osian Cinefan Award, making it a triple celebration. How did she feel about all this prestige? “Paruthiveeran is a once- in- a- lifetime role for me,” she says. “But in our industry it is very dangerous to be bracketed as an award- winning actress. Commercial hits do matter, as they are your bread and butter, but I would like to do a mix of commercial and off-beat films,” As a result of her success, she was asked to open the Goa International Film Festival where she met one of her heroes Shah Rukh Khan.
Recently, she was asked which of the major Southern industries she preferred working in? “The Malayalam industry looks at the artistes performance while in Tamil and Telugu, glamour is the criteria,” she explained. “Hence I love acting in Malayalam films. I am also looking for a good opportunity to make my debut in Kannada films. If I get a chance in Kannada films, I will be one of the few heroines who have acted in all the south Indian languages as a full-fledged heroine.”
Priyamani’s favourite actor is Abhishek Bachchan and she is very excited because she will be working with him and Aishwarya in the new Mani Ratman film. Priyamani is worried she may be overwhelmed when she finally meets him. “I really hope I don’t stutter and stammer while doing my scenes with Abhishek,” she says.
Her steady boyfriend is said to be Telegu actor Raja, but she denies it’s anything serious. “I am not in love with anyone. I consider myself fortunate not to have fallen in love as yet. I am single and I love being like that. As far as Raja is concerned, we are just good friends. When I go to Hyderabad we catch up with each other and often party together. Right now, I am in love with my work,” she finishes.
