Priyamani Cites Nayanthara, Samantha, Kajal As Examples For Married Women Doing Well In Industry

Priyamani is gearing up for the release of her film Maidaan. The sports drama movie is a biopic that chronicles the golden years of Indian football in the early 1950s-60s through the eyes of the team’s coach Syed Abdul Rahim, played by Ajay Devgn. Directed by Amit Sharma, the movie will hit the big screens on April 11 coinciding with the Eid holiday. Ahead of the film’s release, Priyamani has opened up about the changing perception and increasing opportunities for married actresses in the industry.

Priyamani says ‘once upon a time’ married women were reduced to roles of mother, sisters

Priyamani says it is a welcome change in the Indian film industry where female actors are not relegated to supporting roles post-marriage. The National Award-winning actor praised her contemporaries Nayanthara, Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Kajal Aggarwal for making some great career decisions. She asserted, “Post-marriage, women are getting roles that are tailor-made for them. At the end of the day, it’s a choice. If you want to take a break after marriage and want to focus more on your family or if you want to continue.”

She argued that now actresses are getting ‘author-backed’ roles, despite being married or making a comeback after marriage. She shared, “The status of being married is no longer making a difference to the industry. Nayanthara, Samantha and Kajal Aggarwal are doing very well. Kajal has got a kid.” The Drishyam fame also recalled a time when women, “at least in the south” were reduced to "mother", "sister" or "sister-in-law" parts after marriage, the actor lamented. She shared, "Once upon a time, married actresses, at least in the South, were reduced to doing . They said, 'Once the actress is married, fans will not be there. Probably your body shape will change.'”

Priyamani on getting limited screen time in Maidaan 

The actress is aware of the limited screen time allotted to her character Saira, who she described as Rahim's confidante and emotional support system in Maidaan. "The camaraderie between both of them is actually like friends. The family dynamics are very important ... All of them have a significant part to play in the film,” Priyamani said, adding, that she shot for the film for 15 days.

In the same interview, Priyamani also shared that going forward she would be selective with her choices in films. She argued that she would not take up everything that is being offered to her. She shared, “I’m very choosy about what I do. I hope I get to do something nice here . There are a lot of offers which are led by female protagonists but I'm just taking my time and choosing.”

(With inputs from PTI )