'I can never distance myself from cinema'

Actress Padmapriya is known for her unconventional roles, bold avatars and frank opinions. At a time when she was flooded with plum roles, the actress decided to take a break and flew to the US to study a course in Public Administration. It also led her to meet her better half and get hitched.
After finishing her studies, Padmapriya is back in India and is gearing up for her next innings in movies and she shares her plans with Kochi Times:
Tell us about the experience of being a student in the US
The course is over and I passed! Being a student yet again, doing a Masters, was an unbelievable experience.I thought getting an admission for the programme was the biggest hurdle but I was selected by all the major colleges, including the Ivy Leagues. But studying after six years in films was extremely tough. Though I was an active reader and had studied environment law, there were challenges of varied nature. I was subjected to fair amount of racism too, despite the general impression about New York that it is a cosmopolitan place. I was also mistook for a Muslim whenever I went out wearing scarves, with people wishing me Adab Arz Hai (laughs). Being a Tamil Brahmin, it was a puzzling experience for me.
I was also homeless for about a month because of Hurricane Sandy, and was forced to spend days in a relief camp. The experience groomed me more as a person than a development professional. We can be comfortable and cozy as actors and the episode sensitised me about so many things I would otherwise take for granted.
I am currently working for Centre for Policy Research that focuses on issues regarding climate and foreign policies. As of now, I am doing it full time, but it's not bound by the same principles of a fulltime job. I am interested in governance issues, especially on the lines of how money is allocated, spent and the impact of various projects. It's an area where the questions can be as simple as 'Why there is no water in my tap?' and the answers, highly complicated.
How's life different as a married lady?
(Laughs) Nothing's different and it is super cool! I have more people to take care of me now. My husband Jasmine and I share kitchen duties. Life's a lot easier and I would say I am lucky to have a partner with whom I can be like being with a friend, who has no ego and makes me comfortable. I hope it's the same for him too. After marriage, I went back to US to complete my course and Jasmine has been working from India. It's only been about five to six months since we started living together.
Being someone who is interested to stay academically active, any plans to pursue more courses?
Studying abroad was not a cakewalk. The professors taught us only for one hour and we had to do all the hard work. We also had to work on a second job to support ourselves. I don't think I have the stamina for it again. But I'm game for doing new things in life. Even as an artiste, I want to try involving myself in other areas of filmmaking.
Your US stint seems like a lot of hard work and no fun' Oh no! There was a lot of fun too. For instance, once during Halloween, my roomies and I had elaborate plans, but there was no transport available as it was soon after Sandy hit the country. We walked in stilettos for about 15 miles to go to a pub, partied crazy and walked back all that distance! There were many such memorable events that made my US days special. I also tried kick-boxing and often cycled around New York with my roommate. I practiced anti-gravity yoga, in which I had to suspend myself from a cloth.
After your academic course and marriage, people thought you left the film industry'
I know many people think so. But I can never distance myself from cinema. I did Iyobinte Pusthakam while studying. Though I have pursued multiple professions, my priority has always been acting. People do say that I have spent my valuable years away from acting. But the experiences in other fields including academics have truly enriched me as a performer. After returning from studies, I have been listening to a lot of scripts. I am looking for roles that can challenge me as an artiste. I am planning to get back to acting by the end of next month.