Padmapriya: Striking form

A job well done has brought Padmapriya the joy that every artiste seeks to possess. Her work in her first Bollywood film Chandan Arora’s Striker, which also stars Siddharth and which is set to release next Friday, has come in for praise. Those who saw sneak previews of the film say that Padmapriya’s reputation as a brilliant actress will be enhanced by the movie.
Talking exclusively to Chennai Times from Mumbai, where she is busy promoting her film, the actress says, “The film is set in a Mumbai ghetto in the mid ‘80s and is based on true incidents. Striker is a story of the human spirit triumphing over all odds. Siddharth is the heart and soul of the film and he is awesome. I play a Maharashtrian koli, a fisherwoman who runs a bar which is famous for its seafood delicacies, who slowly gets attracted to Siddharth. My on-screen chemistry with Siddharth is terrific.”
But why is she absent in the promos and posters of the film which only have images of Siddharth and Aditya Pancholi? Explains the actress, “It is a promotional strategy devised by the director and producers. They had told me when I signed the film that it will be promoted in a different way. So far, not a single publicity picture of mine has been released to the press by the producers.”
About her role in the film, Padmapriya says, “My character Madhu is very crucial to the story. I play a very saucy character who gets romantically involved with the hero. I wear the typical Navvari sari worn by the kolis — a blouse and a pajama, something similar to what I wore in Pazhassi Raja where instead of a pajama it was a skirt. I think you will have to see the film and then talk about my role.” The actress, who is a pure vegetarian in real life and who doesn’t even eat garlic and onions, had to actually cut and clean fish for her role.
Her passion for perfection hasn’t gone unnoticed. Her role in noted Malayalam director Shaji N Karun’s Kutty Sranku was talked about at the international film festival in Goa, held last November. Says the actress, “It’s a mystical role. I play a Buddhist monk in the film. I’m one of the three girls with whom the hero Mammootty, a mariner, gets involved.” On Simbudevan’s Irumbu Kottai Murattu Singam, she remarks, “Since there are three heroines in this film, there is not much to say about my role. But my role, Bali, in this film is slightly different from the other roles I have done so far.” She is also doing a romantic comedy in Telugu with Sharavanand. The actress concludes, “I’m kicked about my career as some great roles are coming my way.”