They say, 'Good things come to those who wait.' While Monisha Blessy knew Chandru Anbazhagan from her work on Maaveeran, she chose to wait for an opportunity to come to her instead of asking someone for one. “Coolie’s writer, Chandhru Anbazhagan, was also the writer for Maaveeran. I knew for a long time that he was a part of Coolie, but I never once approached him for a role in the film, even though I really hoped to play a part in it. I generally do not ask anybody for chances because it would sometimes put them in a difficult spot.” However, it was meant to be, as she eventually got the call. “One fine day, Chandru called me and asked for my recent photos, after which he did not get back to me for another whole month. Then, just two days before the shoot, he called me again and said that I was selected to play Sathyaraj sir’s third daughter. He also told me then that I would have combination scenes with Rajinikanth sir," reveals Monisha as she talks about how she got the part in Coolie.
Monisha, who plays a small role as Shruti Haasan’s sister Priya in the film, not only got conversational combination scenes with Rajinikanth but also did a small action set piece with the star. “When I finished shooting, I was happy about the combination scenes with him but worried that they might not make the final cut,” she reveals candidly. Her very first shot for the film was in the presence of Rajinikanth, but she was not informed in advance. “It was for the scene where Rajini sir honours the mortal remains of his friend (Sathyaraj). I was informed the day before the shoot to be prepared to cry my heart out. I was not told that Rajini sir would be a part of that shot.” So, when he suddenly walked in, she was dumbfounded—a challenge she seems to face quite often. “Suddenly, as we were preparing to shoot the scene, he walked in, and I could not find the words to talk to him. I was in wonder when I first met him, taken aback by his charm. Before the shot began, I greeted him, and that was the only conversation I had on day one. Even after finishing the scene, I could not talk to him, as I was nervous and blank,” she says.
Monisha seized the chance when she got it again and took the effort to start a conversation with Rajinikanth the second time around. “I told him, ‘Sir, when I worked on Maaveeran, Sivakarthikeyan anna and Saritha ma’am told me a lot about you. I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with you. I am speechless in your presence." He replied with his usual, ‘God bless you, ma.’” But the icing on the cake was when she got a “Super” from him after completing the fight sequence shot. “Anbariv masters rehearsed the scene thrice before he came in. When Rajini sir came, he improvised the action set piece a little, and we went for the take,” she says, narrating what went on behind before Lokesh said, “Action". While we saw Rajinikanth’s Deva appreciating Monisha’s Priya onscreen, she received praise even after the shot. “After the shot, Anbariv masters and Lokesh anna appreciated me, but it was Rajini sir’s appreciation, both during the take and after, that I did not expect at all. He said, ‘Super ma, super!’ These are words I will never forget.”
Counting her blessings multiple times in this conversation, Monisha recalls another fortunate experience—the climax scene in which she stood alongside two other veterans. Recalling how the shot was filmed, she remarks, “I felt blessed to be a part of the last shot, where we shared the screen with Rajinikanth sir, Upendra sir and Aamir Khan sir. While I had no dialogues, it felt surreal to be in the presence of such veterans. We shot it during sunset, and I could see the silhouettes of all of them, with me standing behind these stalwarts. It was an indescribable feeling.” Even then, Rajinikanth gave her a memory for a lifetime. She narrates, “Just before the shot began, Lokesh anna whispered in my ear to give my loudest scream when Aamir sir placed the knife on Rajini sir’s neck. As I screamed at the top of my lungs, the shot was cut, and Rajini sir imitated my scream with a tease, following which he complimented me for doing it naturally.” Monisha then adds that it was a huge morale boost when Rajinikanth observed even small aspects of her performance and praised her in front of other veterans.
While Monisha has been receiving particularly positive comments on her performance, she is aware of the overall negative criticisms of the film. Commenting on the same, she says, “What works for me does not necessarily have to work for you. That is how cinema is, and we have to accept the reality. For an actor like me, I can only give my best to a film. The film’s reception and other factors are in God’s hands.”
Monisha made her film debut with Sivakarthikeyan’s Maaveeran, playing his younger sister and the daughter of Sarita. Having now followed a dream debut with a dream sophomore, Coolie, Monisha will next be seen in a small role in Vijay’s last film, Jana Nayagan. When she first got the call for the actor’s 69th film, she says she thought it was a prank. “I was shooting for Coolie when I received the call for Jana Nayagan. Eventually, I learnt that the opportunity was real. It was a really small role, but I took it up because I would never get another chance to work with Vijay sir,” she mentions. Her first interaction with Vijay was during the pooja ceremony of the film. “When I went for the pooja ceremony of Jana Nayagan, I only got the chance to introduce myself to Vijay sir, following which I also took a photo with him.”
On the sets of the H Vinoth directorial, she got the chance to have a full-blown conversation with the actor, only to be challenged by anxiety-caused speechlessness. “On the film’s sets one day, I was sitting in a tent in between shots. As soon as Vijay sir entered the tent, I got up, but he told me to sit down and started talking to me. He asked me my full name and details about my family. I told him I was speechless and that I often find myself nervous in front of such veterans. He asked me to feel comfortable, and that is when I started wondering how these stars remain humble,” she notes.
After Jana Nayagan, Monisha has two Tamil films in the pipeline, both of which are smaller in scale. “Neither of these has been officially announced, so I do not want to mention the names,” she says. On how she plans to pick projects and shape her career, she signs off by saying, “I have no big dreams or wishes. I am counting my blessings for already being a part of such star-studded films. In terms of upcoming projects, I just want to do roles that establish the performer in me.”