How tough is it really for married actresses to gain a foothold in the film industry? It's not easy, not because you don't get offers, but more because you have so many more responsibilities after you are married and have children. But I would consider myself fortunate for getting the right kind of films. I was away from the industry for around four years, and got back to the scene with Bengali films. Coming back to Kannada films took a while because people assume you would not want to do films after marriage. I did one film with my husband, Upendra, and that helped open doors again. With 12 releases after motherhood, my career seems to be back on track.
Do people see you differently because you are married to a superstar like Upendra? It is great to be a superstar's wife. I love every moment of it, but at the same time, it is equally tough to create an identity of your own. I have been known as an actor before, and now the challenge is to be recognized as an actor again, rather than just as Upendra's wife. I do want my own identity as well.
Do you see a change in the kind of roles coming your way now? Yes. The characters that I am offered now are more mature. That is good in a way, because performance becomes a priority. I like the offers that are coming my way.
You are working with your Malla co-star Ravichandran this year. What's it like to work with him again? It is great to be working with him again. Ravi sir's film is inspired by the Malayalam hit —- Traffic. Though, there are changes in the story to accommodate his style of direction. He plays a star in the film, and I play his wife — something that I relate to in real life as well.
Malla created more controversy than necessary back then. Did you have any apprehensions about being paired with Ravichandran again? Malla hit screens soon after my wedding. It was a glamorous role, and Ravi sir shoots his heroines that way. All his songs are glamorous. If I was not married at that time, probably people would not have reacted to the songs in Malla the way they did. Getting married to someone of Upendra's stature changed the way people perceived me — as his wife. My next film now, of course, is very different and will put things in perspective.
How involved do Upendra and you get when it comes to the kind of work the two of you do? Films are all that we are both extremely passionate about. We talk a lot about work, consult and give each other opinions about various aspects of filmmaking. However, we do not influence each other with our views. We realize that it is important to give each other the space for creative freedom.
What's it like to be married to Upendra? We are very different people, and that makes the relationship interesting. Upendra is very spiritual as far as his work is concerned. He is not materialistic, to the extent that he does not pay any attention to anything apart from work. His mind is always occupied. I come in there to ensure the rest of his life is in place. For instance, I plan his wardrobe because I feel as actors we owe it to our fans to look good when we are out in public.
What about family time? We do take off on vacations once in a while. For Upendra, a vacation means eating and sleeping. And he gets eager to get back to work after three days. On the other hand, I like going out and exploring new places. We try to merge work and holidays at times. Within the city, it is impossible to go out as a family. People recognize him everywhere and it is not right for us to demand privacy in a public place either. So we hang out with friends and tend to visit star hotels only when there are special occasions.
How are your children, Ayush and Aishwarya, coping with all the attention? We've actually made an effort to give our kids a very basic and grounded foundation. They go to regular convent schools, where there are people from different religious and economic backgrounds. We hope to give them a good base, the old school way. They do not get any special preference because they are Upendra's kids.
What's up next for you? Apart from Ravi sir's film, I have a Hindi film called Enemmy with Mithun Chakraborthy and KK Menon. I plan to turn producer with Upendra's next directorial venture. The script is currently being fine tuned. I do have plans of directing films. Hope 2013 makes way for that as well.
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