When Roja, who entered cinema to do just one film, made her Tamil debut with Chembaruthi in 1992 after doing two Telugu films, she described herself as being so shy that even director RK Selvamani, whom she married a decade later, found it quite difficult to strike up a conversation with her. 34 years later, the actor is fresh off her role in Anbe Diana as the strong-headed and caste-obsessed mother Sarala, a role even she didn’t expect she would take up all these years later. “I initially thought I would do one film, get married and leave. But I have acted in almost 160 to 165 films,” she casually says, adding that while she was a film buff as a child, she never hoped she would become a lead heroine. “At that age, I did not know that actresses could look different from the way I had seen them on screen. I thought a heroine had to be very fair, beautiful and tall. Only after I entered the industry did I realise that there were also many dusky-skinned heroines,” she explains.
Although Anbe Diana raced to theatres first, it was DD Balachandran’s Lenin Pandiyan that she chose as her comeback film, a decade after her 150th film, Jamna Pyari, following which she took a break. “My first film had music by Ilaiyaraaja sir, and now my comeback film also has his music,” she declares with equal parts pride and elation. Describing her character in the film, she reveals, “I have a very strong personality, as everyone knows, and this character is also along those lines." There is also a romantic angle to the character, as she continues, “There is also a cute love story between Gangai Amaran sir and me. Overall, it is a beautiful story with the earthy feel of a Bharathiraja film.”
With Lenin Pandiyan, Roja also had the unique experience of having worked alongside three generations of Sivaji Ganesan’s family, with the film introducing his grandson Dhaarshan Ganesan. Although they belong to the same family, Roja sees distinct characteristics in all three. “Performance-wise, all three of them have acting in their blood. But naturally, they are three completely different personalities. Sivaji sir came up through a lot of hard work,” she reveals, recalling her experience of working with him in En Aasai Rasave. “When I worked with Sivaji sir, I was very young. He appreciated my dancing. He would tell me, ‘You dance very well,’ which I consider my life’s biggest compliment to date."
Roja says Prabhu’s entry into Kollywood was easier because of his background but believes his subsequent journey was shaped by his own qualities as a performer. “Once he came in, he worked harder and developed further through his films. I really like Prabhu sir's dancing. He dances with a smile and has a beautiful grace. After Prabhu sir came along, everyone liked that quality. Some people may have a particular hero they like, but Prabhu sir was someone everyone could like,” she explains. Coming to Dhaarshan, she simply puts, “Despite coming from such a big family, he does not have any arrogance.”
After spending more than two decades in cinema, Roja moved into politics, a transition she compares to moving from one male-dominated industry to another. “I came into both cinema and politics almost accidentally. But once I entered, I wanted to be the best I could be. I fought hard for that,” she shares. Although her political career started in 1999, her electoral win came much later, in 2022. “Some people enter politics and become ministers almost immediately. They arrive and suddenly move to another level. But we have struggled for around 20 years. We have fought on many issues and built a good name among the people,” she narrates. Looking back at the challenges she faced along the way, she says, “There were a lot of struggles and humiliations. Being in a male-dominated field is very difficult. In politics, both the opposition party and sometimes people within your own party can try to damage your character out of jealousy. You can fight with the opposition, but when people within your own party are against you, you cannot openly say everything.”
The seasoned actor, who started her political career as the president of TDP’s Women’s Wing, has consistently spoken about and fought for issues concerning women. Asked about the portrayal of women in films such as Peddi, she says, “I don't think we can simply blame the actor for how a woman is portrayed. Ultimately, the artist does what the director asks. If something works beautifully and becomes a hit, the credit goes to the director or the hero. But if something goes wrong, the blame is often put on the heroine. No heroine says, ‘I want to act glamorously. I want to wear this.’ At least 90 per cent of the time, the artist does whatever the director says the character requires.”
That leads Roja to another issue she has personally experienced in her career: the industry's preference for light-skinned female leads. Having been among the early dark-skinned actors to become a heroine in Tamil cinema, she recalls facing the same bias herself. “I won the State Award for Unnidathil Ennai Koduthen, which had a theatrical run for 200 days. But when they remade it in Telugu, they recast my character. I was very upset and even fought with the makers, but eventually, I overcame the injustice and moved on to filmmakers who came with roles to me,” she recalls. She says that it is natural for female actors to feel hurt today over the same issues, adding, “There is a certain amount of male dominance involved in that. We have seen many instances where heroes choose the heroines they personally like. Because of that, talented actors who actually belong to that industry sometimes struggle.”
Roja has now found herself straddling both worlds, continuing to act while remaining involved in politics. Speaking about the criticism directed at the current Tamil Nadu government, she disagrees with the idea that people from cinema cannot become good administrators. “If you look at the people who came before Vijay sir, you have MGR sir, Jayalalithaa ma'am and Karunanidhi sir, who was also a writer. They were successful administrators. Those who can become good administrators are those who genuinely love the people, not merely who think they should do something good for the public, but who actually make an effort to do it. They proved that,” she clarifies, while citing former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, NT Rama Rao, as another example. She adds, "Vijay sir directly became the Chief Minister, and so his political experience is limited. He still has the challenge of proving himself."
For Roja, the two worlds she entered almost accidentally have now become an inseparable part of her life. She describes cinema and politics as her two eyes, and for now, there is no intention of stepping away from either. “I will continue for another three years for sure. After that, I have my election and political commitments, so it will depend on that,” she assures. And perhaps the contrast between the two sides of her life also explains the transformation she has undergone over the years. The woman who once found it difficult to speak to people in the film industry eventually became a fierce speaker in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly, something even Roja says she discovered only after entering politics. Looking back at that unexpected transformation, she signs off by saying, “I honestly don't know how I do it. The moment I take the microphone, it just comes naturally. I myself did not know that I could speak like that. I only discovered that ability after entering politics.”
