'I don’t want to play any role that is regressive or shows women in a bad light,' 

One isn't wrong to assume that a National Award opens doors for better roles and recognition. However, Lakshmipriyaa Chandramouli, who won the National Award for Best Supporting Actor for Sivaranjiniyum Innum Sila Pengalum, opines that the recognition did not necessarily translate into finer opportunities. "I have understood that cinema has two sides to it. It is both an art form and a business. Those who look at it as an art, appreciate good craft or skill. Very understandably, the business part of cinema has other priorities. Viability is an important factor when it comes to business. A good performance, a national award, is definitely commended by those from the craft side of cinema. However, that does not necessarily translate into business, as a lot of factors come into play," the actor shares.

In her latest outing, Soppana Sundari, Lakshmipriyaa plays Thenmozhi, the mute sister of Aishwarya Rajesh's Agalya. The film is a comedy of errors, and the success of such a film lies in cracking the right joke at the right time. In fact, it isn't easy to pull off a comic role without dialogues, and Lakshmipriyaa feels this touch of ingenuity made it all the more enjoyable and interesting. "Essaying the role of a mute person in a comedy film was quite the challenge," says Lakshmipriyaa, adding, "I had ASL training for Payanigal Gavanikkavum (2022), which had me play a similar character. This came in handy for Soppana Sundari too."

Another layer that aided her performance was how Thenmozhi's muteness was based on trauma. Although the makers didn't really include a backstory for Thenmozhi, she brought in a certain approach to the role to bring out the required performance. "Thenmozhi is not trained in ASL. She speaks her mind with actions and expressions that come to her. I chose to play the character because Thenmozhi is very innocent, and the film is a commercial one. The approach to the character was very different."

Lakshmipriyaa has always been an actor who has preferred roles that impact the story, over those written to just fill frames. Upon being choosy about her scripts, the actor explains, "I strongly believe that the screen time of a particular character makes no difference. The first thing I consider is how important the character is to the story. What is the use of playing a character that appears from scene one till the end, but makes no difference to the narrative? Sometimes, there are characters that come in one scene or two and change the story altogether." To back her observation, Lakshmi gives the example of Nandita Das' character from Kannathil Muthamittal. "Her character comes only in two scenes, but the impact she left in the film is unbelievable."

This line of thought has often seen her cast in supporting roles, mostly in offbeat films. One can't help but be curious about her staying away from the mainstream. "I get offered all kinds of roles, and I am choosy when it comes to them. I don’t want to portray any role that is regressive or shows women in a bad light," says the actor, adding, "It doesn't matter if I am the lead or supporting, or the film is mainstream or offbeat, the meaning of the role matters the most." In fact, Lakshmi observes that the recent upswing of well-written supporting actors cannot be called a trend... yet. "Tamil cinema has a mix of everything. You have great films with extremely well-written supporting characters, and also films that need characters just to fill the frame. I wouldn’t say Tamil cinema has zeroed down on a particular trend when it comes to writing supporting characters."

This candidness can also be seen in the way Lakshmipriyaa talks about the beauty standards existing in the film industry. "The beauty standards of the Tamil film industry are being washed away, albeit at a very slow pace. Honestly, it should pick up speed," she says, adding, "I think it is also the perception of the society that has fed this narrative. Cinema caters to what society demands, and it ends up becoming a vicious circle where the industry is ready to stop when society stops demanding, and vice versa. This is the case with other things like showcasing women-based issues and other social standards as well."

Coming back to the National Award win, a driven Lakshmipriyaa is not worried about how others perceive her or the win. It is all about the inward journey, she remarks. "It is a very personal win for me. It is something that I have always dreamt of. Personally, I have felt that it is a very high honour for a craftsman, as it is a national-level recognition, and I will keep working to satisfy myself and achieve my dreams."