Critical acclaim, commercial success equally important for me, says actor Meena

Meena will soon be seen opposite Mohanlal in Malayalam movie 'Drishyam 2' slated to release on Amazon Prime Video on Feb 19

With her latest film Drishyam 2 gearing up for release, actor Meena has made it clear that critical acclaim and commercial success were equally important to her and she considered them to be 'like her eyes'.

"I want both and cannot pick one. They are like my eyes. Everyone associated with a film--right from the producers to the actors-- can truly be satisfied only when critical acclaim and commercial success meet," she told DH.

Meena started her career as a child artiste with the Tamil movie Nenjangal which hit the screens in 1982. She soon made her debut as a leading lady with the Telugu movie Seetharamayya Gari Manavaralu. The star went on to act alongside the likes of Kamal Haasan, Balakrishna, Rajinikanth, Vishnuvardhan, Mohanlal and Mammootty.

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Meena received praise for her work in films like Nattamai, Muthu, Swathi Muthu and Avvai Shanmughi, proving her mettle. She, however, suffered setbacks when films like Veera and Kathanayakudu failed to impress fans. Veera did not make the desired impact as audiences felt it was not as good as Annamalai. Kathanayakudu, on the other hand, proved to be a failure as it was promoted as a Rajinikanth film even though the story revolved around the character played by Jagapathi Babu.

The setbacks, however, did not impact her popularity as she remained a force to be reckoned with despite the emergence of younger stars. This became clear when she starred opposite Mohanlal in Drishyam, which emerged as a blockbuster and was subsequently remade in multiple languages. She will be hoping to add another feather to her cap with her upcoming movie Drishyam 2, a sequel to the cult classic. The Jeethu Joseph-helmed movie revolves around the journey of a cable operator-turned producer with a past and has created a buzz among fans reunites her with 'Lalettan'. Many feel that it might prove to be better than the first part if the execution is up to the mark.

The thriller is slated to release on Amazon Prime Video on February 19, skipping the theatrical route.

She will also be seen in the Tamil movie Annaatthe, which reunites her with 'Superstar' Rajinikanth. The film features 'Thalaivar' in a new avatar and has an emotional narrative, which is likely to appeal to the masses. The Siva-directed movie is expected to hit the screens on November 4.