Actor Priya Mani.
Priyamani has acted in a number of Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil and Kannada films in her two-decades long career, but for the Hindi-speaking audience, it was her role in The Family Man that made her into a pan-India actor. She will be seen next in Sarvam Shakthi Mayam, a docu-drama on Zee5 from June 9 that focusses on an atheist writer and a dysfunctional family as they embark on a pilgrimage to visit all the 18 Maha Shakti Peeths. The actor tells us all about this show and her future projects, which include Jawan with Shah Rukh Khan. Edited excerpts from an interview:
Actor Priyamani in a still from the forthcoming OTT series 'Sarvam Shakthi Mayam'.
Tell us a bit about the story and what made you greenlight the show?
Firstly, in my entire career, I have never done a project which has a devotional or spiritual touch. When this project came up, the first person I spoke to was my mother who is of a spiritual bent of mind. She was happy for me, but more than her, it was my aunt who was extremely excited. I remember we had visited the first of the 18 Maha Shakti Peeths in Odisha and were headed to Kolkata when I received a call from her. She told me that I have been blessed by the Goddess and that this is divine calling because the Devi wants me to visit her.
To be honest, if I hadn’t been approached for this show, I’m sure I would have not even known that India had Maha Shakti Peeths. I would not have known about these powerful temples. My aunt told me to make the most of it and I did. There is definitely some energy in each of the 18 places we visited. We got special permission to shoot in the temples and I took the advantage of that and did special poojas for the family. The second reason for doing the show is that while it is primarily a docu-series, there is also a wonderful story being told through this. At the end of the day, we are telling people that there is a divine power and to believe in it.
Can you tell us a bit about your character Priya?
Priya is a rich man’s daughter married to a well-known guy but the latter’s career is not doing so well. She is either getting influenced by her father or her husband and, sometimes, even by her kids. The 40-day journey that they undertake as a family is also where she discovers her self-confidence and where she stands in her own life and in her husband’s life. There is a lot of complexity in her character.
In The Family Man, you play Suchi who is a wife and a mother to two children, similar to your forthcoming show. How do you ensure that the characters you play are different?
There might be those similarities but apart from that, Suchi and Priya are poles apart. When the writer BVS Ravi approached me for the role, I wondered about the same thing. Here too, like in The Family Man, I am sometimes shown fighting with my husband Madhav, played by Sanjay Suri. I wondered if people would draw similarities between the characters. But all my doubts were laid to rest. The difference lies in the story and the way the characters have been written.
The audience, especially in the north, seem to have rediscovered you through The Family Man and the OTT shows you are doing. How much have the digital platforms helped in making you a pan-Indian actor?
A hundred per cent! It is all thanks to the OTT platforms that I have a wider range of audience. Initially, they might have known me through the One, Two, Three Four song from Chennai Express (2013), or maybe from films such as Rakta Charitra (2010) or Raavan (2010) where I played Abhishek Bachchan’s sister. It was when a project such as The Family Man came up that it made the audiences sit up and take notice of me. Till today, I get DMs asking me ‘Ma'am what happened in Lonavala? (A question that has plagued the audience since the first season of the show). Please tell us, we won’t tell anyone.’ (Laughs). Apart from that, my other Hindi series His Story also connected with the LGBTQ+ community. I’m really fortunate that the digital medium has grown so much and that we have an audience not only here but internationally as well.
You made your acting debut with the Telugu film Evaare Atagaadu in 2003, so it’s been 20 years for you in the industry. Is there a mantra you hold close to your heart as an actor?
My mantra is very simple. I say yes to a script and a role which I find convincing. The movie, or doing well or not, is secondary. When I accept the project, I accept it wholeheartedly and because I am convinced with the story and character.
You are teaming up with your Chennai Express co-star Shah Rukh Khan again in Jawan. Can you tell us how it has been to shoot with one of the biggest stars in the country?
I absolutely adore that man! It is like a dream come true for anybody to even breathe the same air that he does. It is definitely a dream come true for me and I am fortunate and thankful that I got an opportunity to work in a film like Jawan. I have to thank Atlee sir (director) for it and obviously Shah Rukh for believing that I am good for the role. I can’t wait for people to watch it when it comes out in September.