EXCLUSIVE: Priyamani on refusing dance numbers after Chennai Express- “Did not want to be known as a person who can do only song and dance”

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By Athulya Nambiar -

February 5, 2022 - 2:17 PM IST

Actor Priyamani who made her debut in 2003 with the Telugu film Evare Atagaadu has worked in Malayalam, Tamil, and Kannada films over the years. She has also made her presence felt in a couple of Hindi films with her performance in Chennai Express’ ‘One Two Three Four Get On The Dance Floor’ alongside Shah Rukh Khan got her a wider recognition in the Northern belt. In the true sense, the actor has always been a pan-India star. "I would like to quote Mr. Dhanush and say we are all Indian actors. I don't know why we are named South actors or Bollywood actors. We are all Indian actors. I'm quite happy that, you know, a lot of actors are being recognized and the talent is being recognized," the actress said in an interview with Bollywood Hungama.

EXCLUSIVE: Priyamani on refusing dance numbers after Chennai Express- “Did not want to be known as a person who can do only song and dance”

Priyamani will be seen playing very different characters in all her upcoming films which include Bhama Kalapam, Quotation Gang, or Virata Parvam. Talking about making sure her characters are different from what she has played previously, Priyamani said, "I think right from the start, I've always been very conscious about not getting typecast into the same roles that I've played before. But the one similarity, what I can see, in almost all the characters that I've played is that they're very bold, they're not afraid of saying what they want to say, they are not pretentious. That was one similarity between almost all the characters that I played. Apart from that, I try to make a conscious decision that I should not get typecast into similar kinds of roles."

This is also one of the reasons that the actress says she did not take upon special dance number offers that came her way after the hit track from Chennai Express. "I didn't want to keep doing song and dance all the time. So I stayed away. You don't really need to keep doing that all the time. I understand that the song and movie have done well and even till today, the song is being played on almost every occasion wherever you go. But, I didn't want to keep doing that all my life. If I wanted to make a name here in Bollywood as well, I did not want to be known as a person who can do only song and dance. I did not pick it up post Chennai Express and I think that was a good decision."

Whether it is The Family Man series or her upcoming film Bhama Kalapam, Priyamani has been seen portraying strong characters on screen. Ask her if the number of well fleshed-out female characters coming her way has increased, she quips, "Yes, yes, for sure. I think, right now, there are a lot of opportunities that are coming. Even in the web world, I'm in the movie line, also, a lot of people are coming up with strong, female-oriented films, where the entire film is riding on the female. Times are evolving and times are changing and it is for the best and it's for the good."

Priyamani will also be seen in the Hindi film Maidaan opposite Ajay Devgn. "I play Ajay sir's wife. It's basically about football and the foot ball coach. And my character is how she sort of is like his emotional support in the film. She is kind of like his emotional punching bag. She pushes him to be his best whenever he sort of feels low. She uplifts his mood and motivates him and pushes him to do better. That is sort of her character in the film, and then a lot of other cute things also between the husband and the wife in the film. It’s a nice movie and is set in the 60s. This is not a period costume drama but a biography of Syed Abdul Rahim. It's going to be quite interesting," she said talking about her role in the film directed by Amit Sharma.

ALSO READ: EXCLUSIVE: Priyamani on her web original film Bhama Kalapam- “I’ve never played or seen a character like this before”