<p>Priya Prakash Varrier, now described as the national crush, had no clue her spontaneous wink during the shooting of a song would become such a sensation. She hadn't expected she would be targeted by religious groups either.<br /><br />A Muslim body has filed a complaint against her saying her flirtatious gestures distract men from their religious duties.<br /><br />"I am owning this moment and I have no fear," Priya told Metrolife, when we called her at her Thrissur home.<br /><br />'Manikya Malaraya Poovi' is the song in her debut film 'Oru Adaar Love' that has changed her life forever. Priya became an overnight online sensation after a clip from the film went viral.<br /><br />"I pinch myself to see if what is happening to me is real," an excited Priya says, when 'Metrolife' called her up. Priya has become the subject of countless memes, featuring everyone from PM Modi to cricketer Dhoni to actor Vijayakanth. "There's so much thought and creativity gone into making the memes," the 18-year-old says.<br /><br />Priya says the wink was spontaneous. "We never planned it or even discussed the scene. It was done on the spot," she recalls. The director wanted her to do something cute. "He wanted it to be noticed in the scene and also stay in people's hearts even after the movie is released and gone," she says. It was the first time she was facing a camera. "I just did whatever I thought was most appropriate for the scene. The director liked it," she says.<br /><br />Her friends are excited, and her teachers are taking pride in her. Her father Prakash Unnikrishnan and mother Preetha Prakash have sounded a word of caution: they want her not to let the success go to her head. "They ask me to take things as they come," says Priya.<br /><br />She's a dancer<br /><br />Priya was born and lived in Mumbai before she moved to Thrissur. She was only 10 when<br />she began learning Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi and Mohiniyattam. "I have performed<br />at several places, including at temple festivals. I not only dance but sing as well." She attributes her spontaneous and quick eye movements to her training in classical dance forms. Priya is in her first year BCom at Vimala College in Thrissur. She plans to complete her education and become an actor. "I would like to pursue my passion for cinema," Priya says.<br /><br />What an expression, brow!<br /><br />Sreedevi Unni, actor and dancer, sees Priya's eyebrow movements, now a national fascination, as charming, 'colloquial,' and not strictly classical. "Expressing something with the eyes and the eyebrows is an integral part of Indian classical dance but this particular movement has no connection with the core disciplines of Kathakali and Mohiniyattam," she told Metrolife. Priya has beautifully captured an expression difficult to portray. "It has a very cute and mischievous tone," Sreedevi says.<br /><br />Only in 'Metrolife'<br /><br />An excited Priya chatted with DH Metrolife on Thursday, and her father Prakash Unnikrishnansaid it was the only Bengaluru paper she was speaking to.<br /><br />INSTAGRAM page flooded with messages: "Love letters and proposals are flooding<br />my Instagram page. So many people have said 'I love you,' I have lost count." <br /><br />INSTAGRAM HIT: On picture-sharing platform Instagram, Priya's following has spiked to<br />32.5 lakh.<br /><br />And on TWITTER... "I was excited when Telugu actor Allu Arjun retweeted my song. Arjun Kapoor has started following me."<br /><br />What her costar Roshan Abdul Rahoof said: "He is thrilled and happy for me".<br /><br />Who she idolises: "I am a huge fan of Deepika Padukone and I have watched all her films.<br />There's something infectious about her smile."</p>
<p>Priya Prakash Varrier, now described as the national crush, had no clue her spontaneous wink during the shooting of a song would become such a sensation. She hadn't expected she would be targeted by religious groups either.<br /><br />A Muslim body has filed a complaint against her saying her flirtatious gestures distract men from their religious duties.<br /><br />"I am owning this moment and I have no fear," Priya told Metrolife, when we called her at her Thrissur home.<br /><br />'Manikya Malaraya Poovi' is the song in her debut film 'Oru Adaar Love' that has changed her life forever. Priya became an overnight online sensation after a clip from the film went viral.<br /><br />"I pinch myself to see if what is happening to me is real," an excited Priya says, when 'Metrolife' called her up. Priya has become the subject of countless memes, featuring everyone from PM Modi to cricketer Dhoni to actor Vijayakanth. "There's so much thought and creativity gone into making the memes," the 18-year-old says.<br /><br />Priya says the wink was spontaneous. "We never planned it or even discussed the scene. It was done on the spot," she recalls. The director wanted her to do something cute. "He wanted it to be noticed in the scene and also stay in people's hearts even after the movie is released and gone," she says. It was the first time she was facing a camera. "I just did whatever I thought was most appropriate for the scene. The director liked it," she says.<br /><br />Her friends are excited, and her teachers are taking pride in her. Her father Prakash Unnikrishnan and mother Preetha Prakash have sounded a word of caution: they want her not to let the success go to her head. "They ask me to take things as they come," says Priya.<br /><br />She's a dancer<br /><br />Priya was born and lived in Mumbai before she moved to Thrissur. She was only 10 when<br />she began learning Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi and Mohiniyattam. "I have performed<br />at several places, including at temple festivals. I not only dance but sing as well." She attributes her spontaneous and quick eye movements to her training in classical dance forms. Priya is in her first year BCom at Vimala College in Thrissur. She plans to complete her education and become an actor. "I would like to pursue my passion for cinema," Priya says.<br /><br />What an expression, brow!<br /><br />Sreedevi Unni, actor and dancer, sees Priya's eyebrow movements, now a national fascination, as charming, 'colloquial,' and not strictly classical. "Expressing something with the eyes and the eyebrows is an integral part of Indian classical dance but this particular movement has no connection with the core disciplines of Kathakali and Mohiniyattam," she told Metrolife. Priya has beautifully captured an expression difficult to portray. "It has a very cute and mischievous tone," Sreedevi says.<br /><br />Only in 'Metrolife'<br /><br />An excited Priya chatted with DH Metrolife on Thursday, and her father Prakash Unnikrishnansaid it was the only Bengaluru paper she was speaking to.<br /><br />INSTAGRAM page flooded with messages: "Love letters and proposals are flooding<br />my Instagram page. So many people have said 'I love you,' I have lost count." <br /><br />INSTAGRAM HIT: On picture-sharing platform Instagram, Priya's following has spiked to<br />32.5 lakh.<br /><br />And on TWITTER... "I was excited when Telugu actor Allu Arjun retweeted my song. Arjun Kapoor has started following me."<br /><br />What her costar Roshan Abdul Rahoof said: "He is thrilled and happy for me".<br /><br />Who she idolises: "I am a huge fan of Deepika Padukone and I have watched all her films.<br />There's something infectious about her smile."</p>