Soundarya Rajinikanth has been a successful director, the daughter of Superstar Rajinikanth, the doting wife of Vishagan Vanangamudi and a lovely mother to her darling son Ved. In an interview with an English daily, Soundarya said, “I consider all my roles a blessing…. It’s not easy but I’d rather have it this way than any other way! I’m grateful!” Talking about direction, she added, “Producers should open up more and the myth that women can only work on women-oriented subjects should stop. I am happy to say both the films I have made aren’t exactly women-centric, and are mainstream commercial films.”

Reacting to the kind of difficulties faced by women, Soundarya said, “There are physical challenges when we shoot in remote rural locations. In all my films, I’ve consciously made an effort to balance the men and women in my crew so the balancing was manageable. Women have lots of stigmas to deal with but I’m so proud of the many bold women in our industry and other industries who have come out to make their voices heard. It’s about time.”

We all definitely know pay gap existing in our industry due to gender discrimination. She was quoted saying, “It exists and it’s unfair. Male or female, the job is the same. Gender shouldn’t define pay.”

Concluding the interview, Soundarya said, “My mother. She is this middle class simple girl who married a superstar and came into a completely new world of showbiz. The way she handles her roles — as a mother, wife, educationist and grandmother — is unbelievable. I would be proud of myself if I can be half the woman she is.”