Khushbu Sundar on turning a year older, “I still feel I could do more, and I can, I will”

By Subhash K. Jha -

October 1, 2024 - 12:29 PM IST

Tamil actress-politician Khushbu Sundar started as a child artiste. I still remember her in a frock singing ‘Kaun hoon main kya naam hai mera’ in Lataji’s voice in Sunil Dutt’s Dard Ka Rishta.

Khushbu Sundar on turning a year older, “I still feel I could do more, and I can, I will”

Recalled the no-nonsense actress, “Dard Ka Rishta gave me the name I wanted. I will always be indebted to Sunil Dutt uncle for that. I have actually named my elder daughter Trishala after his granddaughter, Sanjay Dutt's daughter, as my way of showing my gratitude. It was an honor to have Lataji singing for me. I would be lying if I said I didn’t lose out on a normal childhood. I did. But I probably was destined for better things in life I guess.”

Khushbu recalled her first hero Govinda as a leading lady fondly saying, “Govind, as I call him, has been my very, very dear friend. We continue to stay in touch. We are not kind of friends who speak every day. But whenever we do, we start off from where we left last. He is extremely precious to me.”

She has no complaints against the Tamil film industry known to be fiercely patriarchal. “Actually, it's a preconceived mindset,” she said. “The Tamil film industry is very supportive. I was welcomed with open hearts. The kind of love and respect I garnered, is a proof of that. My first Telugu film, my first Kannada film and my second Tamil film are all precious to me. But I feel my turning points have been every time I was down and pushed against the wall, I realized my strength and always bounced back, better than before. Professionally in Tamil, Chinna Thambi was the biggest turning point. Kaliyuga Pandavalu in Telugu as it introduced me to South. Ranadheera in Kannada which gave me an identity. And of course, Varsham 16, Chinna Thambi, Michael Madan Kamarajan, and Annamalai.

“Personally, on February 22, 1995, Sundar C proposed to me, and I accepted without batting an eyelid. We complete thirty years of togetherness next February,” she recalled.

She feels she has a long way to go as both a politician and an actor. “I feel there is a lot more to do in both, films and politics. I still have lots in me to offer. I want to come back to do films in Hindi now. It's been too long,” she said.

Khushbu welcomes the Hema committee report. “We need this awareness,” she said. “Women need all the support. It's very disheartening to see this happening in one’s film family. There has to be fair investigation though. No culprit should go scot free, and no innocent should be punished.”

Summing up her journey so far the actress-politician said, “I would love to be on this roller coaster ride yet again. No human is ever content. Neither am I. I still feel I could do more. And I can, I will.”

Also Read: Khushbu Sundar reveals her daughters warned her not to watch Ranbir Kapoor starrer Animal; says, “We need to think of the mindset of the people who make it a success”