In a flashback mode, Ramya reminisces about unforgettable experiences personally and professionally.
I realised that if you just let things happen in front of the camera, the magic happens.
The actor’s choice of roles has been wide and varied and Ramya has essayed most of them with flourish. Did any role challenge her and deprive her of her sleep? “Ah! During my initial days, all my films would give me sleepless nights, especially if the film was in a different language or if I had a song sequence. But not anymore! I think I am now beyond the ‘sleepless night’ phase because I have learnt to take it easy. I realised that if you just let things happen in front of the camera, the magic happens. If you keep pondering over it and stressing yourself, you are not going to get it right for sure,” claims the experienced actor. She adds, “So I just don’t do that to myself anymore.”
There was no preparation except telling myself to be brave.
The evergreen character of Ramya Krishna – Nilambari in Padayappa (Tamil) and Narasimha (Telugu) – was opposite Superstar Rajnikanth and a negative role at that, which not only earned her acclaim and awards but also showcased her as a vibrantly talented and dedicated actress and dancer. She gave her best in this movie and it proved to be one of the foremost highlights of her career. The passion and the closeness to that role reflects in her voice as she speaks of her role as Nilambari “There was no preparation except telling myself to be brave. You know there is this saying in Tamil, ‘ thalai iku mela poyachu, jaan pona ena muzham pona ena’ (meaning “in for a penny, in for a pound”). It was almost such a situation; I had decided to do the film knowing that the character opposed that of the Superstar and was an antagonist role. So all I had to do was to ask myself to be brave and bold and do what was required, that’s it.”
He makes you feel very much at ease, he has that quality about him.
Was she ever intimidated by the presence of the Superstar at any point during the film Padayappa? Ramya is quick to kill the curiosity: “That’s the best thing about him, it never did otherwise I don’t think I could have performed like that. He makes you feel very much at ease, he has that quality about him. He makes everyone feel at ease, including the light man and all the technicians around him.” We couldn’t help but ask this actress, who did not mind taking on negative shades in her role, of an unforgettable memory during the making of the film that brought her positive responses. Candidly she responds, “Rajini Sir would teach me how to twirl the cooling glass and put it on, in his style, which I could never get (laughs). And the salute in that scene where I sit down if front of him, he would teach me to do that too. It was overall an interesting experience.”
This is actually the most interesting part of my career, and that is what has made me sustain here for so long.
The success of Nilambari fetched Ramya Krishnan many roles and yet another memorable performance was her role as a sex worker in Kamal Haasan’s Panchatantiram. Maragathavalli alias Maggie was witty, classy, and sexy, and she stole the hearts of the audience in this entertaining performance. The last song and dance sequence with actress Simran, who plays Kamal’s wife in the film, is a worth the watch. Ramya as Maggie left the charmed the audience asking for more. “It was a call girl’s role and no heroine would come forward to take up such a role,” she quips. “This is actually the most interesting part of my career, and that is what has made me sustain here for so long. If you see my career graph you’ll see that I have done the role of Amman, a negative role, an item number, a call girl and so on. It was a mixed lot and I was not contained in one particular type of role. That way, I would say Maggie was something very different and I loved that role. It was a learning process just being in front of and performing with an actor like Kamal Haasan,” emphasizes the glamorous actress. She continues to share with us the awe and respect she holds for her co-star, “What you finally see on the scene is nothing like what is on the paper. There is so much improvisation that goes on and the magic just happens, especially the comedic part of the film was improvised then and there. Even today, when I watch this film I am in splits! It was a pleasure being a part of this film. I just enacted what Kamal Haasan showed me, though I did only half of what he taught me.
Ramya Krishnan plays a pivotal role in Thaana Serndha Koottam. The actress had initially said it is a laughing riot and a comedy to behold. Watch this space for the review soon…