I never wanted to be a heroine!: Anjali Rao

Actress Anjali Rao, known for her performance as STR’s sister in Gautham Menon’s Achcham Yenbadhu Madamaiyada, is now turning lead heroine for debutant director Ashok’s Peechankai.  Meanwhile, she is also awaiting the release of the award-winning film Sila Samayangalil, directed by Priyadarshan.

Anjali, who has done character roles in Soodhu Kavvum, Pizza 2, and Vanmaham, states that she never wanted to be a heroine though — “I did not come to the industry to be a quintessential heroine; I wanted to do performance-oriented roles. Even if I am given one scene which makes or breaks the story, I will definitely do it. Initially it was difficult, as I do not come from a filmy background nor am I from an acting school. I started making short films to understand the aesthetics of filmmaking.”

“When I was doing supporting roles, director Ashok approached me for Peechankai. I play the role of Abirami, who runs a telephone booth. Even though my character has limited screen presence, it is pivotal to the story. That is the reason I agreed to be part of the movie. Before Peechankai, I received several offers, but I didn’t take it up as they focused more on glamour and less on performance,” she adds.

Anjali has good things to say about director Vijay. “I used to do ad films and while working for an ad with Vijay, he was impressed by my performance. He stated that he wrote a character in Sila Samayangalil keeping my performance in mind!” she concludes.