Smuggling hearts

Actor Priya Hassan's latest release 'Smuggler' is special for her because she has not only directed and produced the film but also acted in it. The actor admits it wasn't easy to manage all the aspects of the film, but says it was a task worth taking up.

She says 'Smuggler' is one of those rare projects where she has juggled contrasting roles to perfection.While people have always seen her in an action role, she has two shades in this film.

"In one, I appear as a smuggler and in the other, I slip into the role of a traditional village girl. The body language, costumes and makeup for both roles have been carefully chosen to draw people's attention to these characters. We haven't adopted the regular pattern of filmmaking in this project. The style of narration has been kept very different," she explains. The story is woven around smuggling and its repercussions.

The people involved in smuggling and the tactics they use to get things done have been captured in the film. "I've had to quickly change my attitude from that of a smuggler, with tough action sequences and expressions, to a traditional Iyengar girl's role in the next sequence. It was quite challenging to pull it off but I enjoyed every bit of it," she adds.

She points out that there have been several films with heroes playing negative shades but there hasn't been a film made with a woman playing the lead negative role.

"It is tough for a woman to fight like a man. I had to build my stamina and instead of worrying about how I would do it, I took it as a challenge. Most of the action sequences are shot in Bangkok. What we have attempted to portray through my character is a stylish lady don. The many tomboyish roles that I have played so far has earned me the reputation of being a rough and tough person. This experience has come in handy for this role," explains Priya.

The actor has also roped in some big names from the Tamil and Telugu film industries to play negative roles in the film. "There were a few villainous characters required for this project and I have picked the best from these two industries. This is a big-budget film but as a producer and director, I didn't want to compromise on the quality and content of the film," says Priya.

Sharing her experience of working on this project, Priya says, "It was tough and I have had sleepless nights but I have learnt a great deal in the process. When you know that you shoulder a huge responsibility then you automatically tend to work hard," she signs off.