I’m in the best phase of my career: Priya Mani

Having shown that she is not afraid to walk the path less travelled, Priya Mani has quietly moved into the top echelons of the film industry. While the National award-winning actress has taken on many roles across industries in the last two decades, she seems especially excited over her upcoming web film, Bhaama Kalapam, a thriller.

In the film directed by Abhimanyu Tadimeti, Priya Mani will be seen as a homemaker, Anupama, who experiments with recipes and gains popularity on her YouTube channel. “She also interferes in the lives of people around. And because of this attitude she gets into trouble,” says Priyamani, adding that the drama is about how she tries to come out of the mess.

Priyamani from Bhaama Kalapam

The actress says “There’s sarcasm, humour and wittiness, and above all, there’s a bit of drama too and I enjoyed playing Anupama,” adding that she was particularly hooked by the narration and plot line.

Priya Mani believes that she’s a spontaneous actor. And as such she didn’t prepare specifically for her part. “But I have observed the body language of several homemakers, how they deal with problems and how they conduct themselves in their daily life,” she says,

The Narappa actress always maintained that digital is the future, and that OTT platforms can come up with experimental content. “That doesn’t mean that I avoid theatres, the thrill of watching a film in theatres is unbeatable. But, thanks to the pandemic I guess, the digital platform has taken off,’ she notes.

Priya Mani started her film career when she was 18. “Today whatever I am is because of my hard work. I played the protagonist in almost all my films,” she says, thanking the filmmakers who have cast her.

We ask her the reason for her longevity in the industry, and she replies, “I don’t know —maybe it’s ‘never say never’.” The Mana Oori Ramayanam actress says, “I feel I am still in the best phase of my life. I am getting a lot of opportunities to play interesting characters.”

For someone who works in multiple industries, language has never been a problem for her. Priya Mani says that she was always excited to learn a new language.  “I have picked up Telugu, Malayalam, etc., by talking to local staff in their language. On the sets too, I have made a conscious effort to speak the language of the region,” she says.

On women getting to play strong and author-backed roles, Priya Mani feels the trend has been around for a long time. “Several projects are based on women, and most of the soap operas are centred on women. And the good thing is that the audience gets to see a lot of realistic stories irrespective of the platform,” she says.

Is there any role that she’d like to play? “I want to play a role that has grey shades, or do a full-length comedy film,” says Priya Mani. “These are the two things I have not done.”