Our September Cover Girl Simran has had some iconic roles; characters that stay in memory forever. In an industry in which an actress’s success rate is calculated by how many high-profile heroes she has worked with, Simran perceives hers a successful career of iconic roles. Here she talks about each of the roles that made her the queen of Tinsel Town since late 90s!
Simran says, “I would love to perform some really good roles but for me to do that I have be approached with the same. Back then at the peak of my career as well, be it Vaali, Kannathil Muthammital, Priyamanavale, my role was not something that could be dismissive. It was never dancing around trees and screen presence that lasted just about two or three songs. I am quite satisfied with what I have done and the success I’ve had in my career having done these types of stories. I would love to do female-centric films, so let’s see.” A bankable actress, Simran has purely delivered roles with flawless poise, a concept unheard of back then. We must mention here the awe-struck performance as a antagonist in the movie, ‘Parthen Rasithan’, with co-stars Prashanth, and Laila. Ranging from love torn interest to vamps with vengeance, Simran’s bank of emotions is vast!
“I have had the good fortune of working alongside the finest in the industry, while also carrying out standout roles.”
Simran has shared screen space with the big-whigs of Kollywood and at each turn, has held her own weight. Looking back fondly on her mega co-stars, her eyes light up: “Let me start with Thullatha manamum thullum – I shot it with Vijay just like I did for Once More. Vijay is an amiable co-star. He is an admirable dancer and I enjoyed watching him perform. He would patiently wait till I finished my take and I would watch him to reflect some of the emotions. He is one outstanding actor and he deserves to be where he is now. Vaali with Ajith was a turning point of my career for it gave me the chance to perform my very best. Jeeva is an amazing cameraman and SJ Suriya is a very talented director. Again, acting with Ajith was quite a task as he is a skilled actor. Then there was Vaaranam Aiyiram, a movie that is very dear to me. Suriya was my first co-star and this movie was so overwhelming and emotional that the role is just etched in my memory. Suriya is a very endearing person with a generous heart. I know I have mentioned it already, but Kannathil Muthamittal! That gave me so much space to perform; one of my best films indeed. Working with Mani sir is like working with the Principal in the, ‘School of Cinema’. He is simply a fantastic director. He brings the natural aura to all he does. I have had the good fortune of working alongside the finest in the industry, while also carrying out standout roles.”
“I think Comedy is the toughest genre to master.”
Having done some major projects in a variety of genres we ask Simran which is the most challenging of them all and the answer is totally unexpected! “I am a director’s artiste. I do whatever my director tells me to. Surprisingly the toughest to execute is comedy. I have a tendency to laugh out while working on comedy scenes and it is hard not to when shooting such moments. Panchathanthiram is one example of that. I owe 70% of my Tamil knowledge to KS Ravikumar. His comedic timing is excellent and he is a fast director. Working with him on comedy especially alongside someone with an equally funny bone as Kamal Haasan had me in splits throughout the shooting schedule. He is well versed in a lot of subjects, very knowledgeable, and creative as well. I learnt a lot from him and I owe him that credit.”
