On December 13, Suhasini Maniratnam completed 43 years working in multiple film industries. Having celebrated several successes and overcome failures too, the actress aims to thrive on excellence. “An actor should never rely on past laurels,” says Suhasini “Our past glory should never hold us back from moving on and thriving on excellence.”
But when she meets her long-time friends, they all reminisce about the old days, the actor admits. When we reminded her about the 80s reunion that happens every year, Suhasini says it’s an occasion for nostalgia. “We were a generation of women in transition; we knew we had to work to kick off and at the same time we were rooted in values and tradition. So we had the best of both worlds,” she asserts.
This year, the reunion had to be cancelled due to the Chennai floods.
Suhasini has worn many hats in the course of her career – actor, director, writer and producer. Asked what she loves most, she smiles and replies, “May be a better actress.” She adds, “It’s good to dabble in multiple crafts so that nobody fools you,” and says working with people from diverse backgrounds has helped her understand her craft better.
Being the wife of a celebrated filmmaker like Mani Ratnam is tough. “When I married him I wanted him to direct two films in a year. Slowly that changed to one-and-a-half years, and even two years. I realised that expectations grow enormously with each film,” the actress says.
She describes Mani as “young at art and heart.” Revealing that she can’t compete with his energy levels, Suhasini says she feels guilty at times for not contributing to his work. “But we complement each other well; and have a lot of time for each other,” she shares.
Having seen success and failures in her career, Suhasini treats both equally. “I observed that our celebrations mellowed a bit during the Ponniyin Selvan success. So I think after a certain point, the film’s result will be inconsequential – as an actor you want to move on and better yourself.”
The actress is in the city to launch her film Mahati, directed by Siva Prasad. She plays a TV journalist. The film talks about women and minorities who don’t have a voice in society. “It’s an exciting role; I like the narrative and wanted to play the part. I wanted to give the role a fresh dimension, and so I am trying to be as spontaneous as I can,” she says.
