'I went on a crash diet'

She is grace personified and her smile is disarming. Actor-director-dialogue-writer and TV anchor Suhasini Mani Ratnam ensures that whatever she does looks effortless.

But she does not wear her experience on her sleeves. She has starred in over 350-odd films and is no stranger to the Sandalwood film industry.

From ‘Benkiyali Aralida Hoovu’ and ‘Bandhana’ in 1980s to ‘School Master’, almost all her films in Kannada have topped the box-office. Most of her Kannada blockbusters are opposite the late actor Vishnuvardhan. “I really miss acting with him,” Suhasini tells Metrolife.

In the just-released Kannada film titled, ‘Sachin Tendulkar Alla’, she plays the sister of an autistic boy who also happens to be a big Sachin Tendulkar fan and aspires to play like him.

Suhasini had to look 10 years younger than she is for the role.

“That was a huge challenge and I went on a crash diet to lose seven kilos. But I didn’t starve myself. Instead I stuck to a disciplined exercise regime and stayed away from rice altogether,” she explains.

She says that playing the older sister of an autistic child was a tough process.

“My sister works with autistic children and from observation, I have understood how to handle children with such disabilities. And again, it is the script that impressed me. It was narrated to me three years ago and we have been working on it ever since,” she adds. If there’s one thing that moves her, it is the sight of talented children.

“There’s so much talent in children these days and it’s getting better by the day,” she reasons.

Mother of a 22-year old boy, Suhasini says that her son, who is currently pursuing Political Science at the Oxford University, is not really interested in acting although she would have liked him to become an actor.

“He’s more into politics and most of his friends are 70 years and above. He never misses a single parliamentary session and hopes to become a politician,” she explains.   

Suhasini finds a great critic and friend in her husband. “Actually, we don’t compliment each other but we do discuss films once in a way,” she beams.

Asked if she misses working in the Kannada film industry, Suhasini says, “I have never stayed away from the Kannada industry. I hop into the City quite regularly to meet some of my closest friends who live here.”