When Mammootty's 'Poovinu Puthiya Poonthennal' actor Sujitha Dhanush said, ‘South Indian artists don’t get equal respect’

Actress Sujitha Dhanush is known for her role in Poovinu Puthiya Poonthennal alongside Mammootty, and couple of other superhit films including 'Hatya', 'Aayirathil Oruvan', 'Vaalee' and many more.Earlier in an interview with TOI City, the actress opened up about industry bias by saying that south Indian actors don't get equal respect when compared to north Indian counterparts.Sujitha’s journey in cinema began at an incredibly young age. She made her screen debut when she was just 41 days old, appearing as the granddaughter of veteran actress K. R. Vijaya in a Tamil film.Born in Thiruvananthapuram and later settled in Chennai, Sujitha came from a family with no direct links to cinema. However, her parents, TVS Mani and Radha, encouraged their children to explore the world of films. Her brother, Surya Kiran, also went on to build a career in the industry.Following her debut, Sujitha featured in several films as a child artist. Her early performances received much love from the audiences across multiple languages.Her breakthrough came with Mammootty's 'Poovinu Puthiya Poonthennal', directed by the veteran Fazil.Over the years, she appeared in a wide range of films across Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, and Hindi cinema and she was also part of projects associated with acclaimed filmmaker Mani Ratnam, including 'Roja', 'Bombay', and the classic 'Iruvar'. At a crucial point in her career, Sujitha chose to focus more on television. Reflecting on this decision, she told TOI City in an earlier interview, " I started my career as a child artist. Only because of my brother Surya Kiran (actor and director) I got the chance. I have worked with many leading artists and technicians, which I consider as a blessing. When there was a choice whether I would want to pursue my career in serials or films, I chose serials. I have acted in many leading serials. As of now, I am acting in a leading serial called, Pandian Stores.My journey began as a child artist, without my knowledge (laughs). I was 41 days old when I was featured in a film. I have worked in many films and have won best child artist award 2 times in Andhra Pradesh in the year 1987 and 1988."Sujitha also spoke about the difference between working in films and television, saying, "I have faced this questions many times. I have been working for quite a long time. I don’t find any big difference. I feel that films are like public exams, whereas serials are like term exams. Films have once in a lifetime results. But, serials are like daily newspapers. People even don’t watch even previous episodes. I put the same kind of efforts for both silver screen and small screen and that too with equal intensity. Only sadness is that, the artists from South India don’t get the equal level of respect when compared to North Indian counterparts."Sujitha's filmography also includes titles like 'Summer in Bethlehem', 'Vaalee', 'Ingane Oru Nilapakshi', 'Aayirathil Oruvan', and many more. She has also made a magnificent presence in the mini screens via popular serials like 'Salangai Oli', 'Pandian Stores', and 'Vadinamma'.