Ace comedienne Kovai Sarala is riding high after the success of Kanchana 2. The actress who brings the roof down with her over-the-top antics in the Tamil flick, had shifted her base to Tollywood more than a decade ago when she had a tiff with a top male comedian of the time. DC caught up with this live wire on the sets of Itli to talk about her role in the film, how the Telugu industry differs from Tamil, and how she was intimidated when Kamal Haasan cast her opposite himself in Sathi Leelavathi, in an exclusive.
The actress is happy with her comeback, and contented that she is getting meaty comedy roles. “In my last two films Komban and Kanchana 2, I had diverse roles. While in Komban I played the mother of Karthi, a relatively quiet character, the mother role in Kanchana 2 was a stark contrast. Director Lawrence made my role a caricature, and I went all out to perform it. I am happy that both were received well, especially the latter, which went down well with children.”
The actress has been roped in as one of the leads in director Vidyadharan’s heist film Itli. She says, “This is an interesting flick. After a long time, three of us — Saranya, Kalpana and I, come together and play the central characters, three bold paatis (grandmas), which has no male lead actor.”
Having acted in more than 100 Telugu films, Sarala feels that there is not much cooperation among comedians in Tamil. “In Telugu, there can be ten comedians in one film and everyone gets along, without feeling intimidated or marginalised. Each one strives to do their best, in their own space. But in K’town the scenario is different. Here, male comedians dominate.”
Asked why a female comedy artiste cannot make it as a heroine, while male comedians like Vadivelu, Santhanam can, pat comes the reply. “It’s all seasonal. Eventually, they cannot sustain themselves in the slot of a hero.” She quickly adds with a smile, “I also had the great opportunity to act opposite Ulaganayagan Kamal sir in Sathi Leelavathi. I was very scared, and prayed that the film should be a success. Though my director Balu Mahendra was apprehensive of my abilities, the movie was a runaway hit.”
When queried if she would campaign in the forthcoming elections like she did for AIADMK a few years back, Sarala says that she is doubtful. “My kitty is full of films and I have been shuttling between Chennai and Hyderabad. Even the last time I campaigned, I was not too keen to do it. It just happened,” she signs off.
