After making a terrific start to her acting career with a defining performance in Bommalattam eight years ago, Rukmini Vijayakumar has been very selective about her projects. This is because she needs to balance both her dancing and acting careers. After making a cameo appearance in the Bollywood film Shamitabh last year, she is all set to make her comeback in Tamil with Mani Ratnam’s Kaatru Veliyidai. She speaks to DC at length about her new film and her love for Bharatanatyam.
“I’m obviously excited and feel very happy. It’s everyone’s dream to act in a Mani Ratnam movie,” starts Rukmini on an exuberant note. Though she refuses to reveal anything about her role, she says, “I cannot talk much about my character. All I can say is, it’s a nice role, and people will love it.”
Post Bommalattam, Rukmini has only acted in four movies in the past seven years. So, when we ask if she is very choosy about signing a project, the Anandha Thandavam star replies, “It’s actually the other way around — most of the time, the project chooses me! In addition, as I dedicate a lot of time to dance, I don’t get time to act in more films. I can never sacrifice Bharatanatyam.”
Rukmini is also very clear that she would want to be recognised more as an actor — “I want to be remembered for the characters I have played. It would give me such joy if I am considered more as a performer.” So, when we query what made her accept a cameo role in Dhanush-starrer Shamitabh, she says, “I’m a huge fan of director Balki. Also, it was a fun role to play. That is the reason why I decided to be a part of the film.”
Explaining about how she balances both her dancing and acting career, Rukmini states, “I would not pick one over the other. I pick a project whatever that excites me at that particular time — irrespective of it being Bharatanatyam or acting.”
On the dancing front, Rukmini is very busy touring worldwide for several performances. She is in fact gearing up for a USA–Canada tour next month. “I have been travelling non-stop over the past two years. I have performed in various countries across Europe, and many people from the US have been requesting me to perform there. Apart from performing, I’m also conducting a workshop there,” she says.
For the past two years, she has also been actively donning the role as a classical dance teacher. She explains that she feels rejuvenated to teach young talents. “As a teacher, I am actually learning more. It helps me reinforce my ideas and formulate my thoughts properly,” she says and bids adieu.
