Khushboo Sundar on ‘Annathe’: Rajinikanth sir still lives like a kid on first day of school

I ask Khushboo if she would have sold the temple she built for her fans with better roles in films. She laughs at the question, but responds almost immediately. “No,” she says, “I would have definitely preferred the temple. If not for the temple, you would not have sat here and asked me questions.

One might have to agree with him. The Khushboo star is older than the actress Khushboo. She was the go-to heroine of the 90s. During that decade, he sometimes starred in more than 10 films in a single year. That was probably enough to become a household name, an adjective for idli, and of course, the temple. Obviously, she values ​​worship more than rewards.

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She also wanted stardom. He had tasted it long ago. She was 10 years old when she debuted in BR Chopra’s film burning train (1981). The film starred Dharmendra, Hema Malini, Vinod Khanna, Parveen Babi, Jeetendra, Neetu Kapoor, Vinod Mehra, Naveen Nischal and Danny Denzogpa. Moving forward, she appeared in Bollywood in the late 80s, until she mainly shifted to Tamil films. She grew up with the stars; It was natural that she wanted to be one too.

After shining in the 90s, the number of films dwindled in the 2000s. Khushboo ventured into television, entered politics and had to take care of her children. She hardly appeared on the big screen after 2010. Today, even on the small screen, we mostly see him as a politician.

However, this year will see a change. She will be in Rajinikanth-starrer Annathe (Though she doesn’t want to call it a ‘return’). Khushboo will also be one of the judges on Colors Tamil reality show, dance vs dance season 2.

In an interview, the actor-politician talked about his four-decade-long film career reuniting with Rajinikanth. Annaatthe, Importance of Dance in Tamil Movies and many more.

Part:

Congratulations on completing four decades in films!

Thank you. It’s been a roller-coaster ride, and I think that’s why I loved every part of it. If not for the ups and downs, I would have easily become indifferent.

You have been a child artist, female lead, show host, reality TV judge, producer, politician in this journey…Which roles did you like most?

being a mother. She has been my favorite role. I knew nothing but movies and television. So this has been my life. Now, of course, I have become a politician. I had to cut films and TV because politics requires a lot of time and attention. And I hope to get better at it.

Now you are a judge on a dance reality show. In the 80s and 90s, almost every Tamil film had a dance number. It is not so now. Do you think dance may gradually be taken out of mainstream cinema?

Dance in cinema will never fade away; It is part and parcel of cinema. We have people like Vyjayanthimala Yes and Puppy Mama (Padmini). In the generation just before me, there were great dancers like Jayaprada, Jayasudha, Sridevi, Sripriya. akka. I was a big fan of Ambika’s dance.

There have been very good dancers after my generation. You need to know how to dance; You can’t put two left feet and say ‘I want to be a great actress.’ Yes, you may not need to dance in an OTT film. But you have to have a sense of rhythm to have at least some emotion on the screen. But unless you know what music is, what dance is, you can’t even take two steps into acting.

But do you see dance choreographers retaining their importance in Tamil cinema in this era?

Definitely. It’s not just about the dance steps; The choreographer knows how to take the story forward. They understand the state of the song, the emotion it tries to convey. A song essentially tells a story in four minutes. For example, my husband (Sundar Si) cannot live without someone like Vrinda. The same goes for a person like Sri Mani Ratnam. As long as you have cinema, you will have choreographers around you.

More roles are written for women in Tamil cinema than in your time. Is now a better time for actresses?

Yes. We have seen that OTT platforms, especially during the pandemic, provide a huge space to make different types of movies. The competition is really tough. Now people can watch movies in other languages. For example, Malayalam cinema is on a different level. We need to stick with them and give better roles for women. A lot has changed since my time. You have OTT and multiplex. You have a different audience who are ready to accept different types of cinema. But big films still remain hero oriented films. Heroine oriented films are not doing anything special at the box-office…

After a long time you are going to work with Rajinikanth Annaatthe…

I don’t want to talk about this Annathe. But it’s going to be a fun film. People will get to see the Rajinikanth they always wanted to see. It will be like Rajinikanth Annamalai, Arunachalam, Muthu, And Padayappa. That Rajinikanth was missing for a long time. Meena and I have to play lovely roles in this. There are many theories on social media as to what this would be. But it will be a pleasant surprise. (Smile)

Read also | ‘Annathe’ teaser: Rajinikanth is furious, to avenge his village

Annaatthe It also has a star-studded ensemble cast. How was the shooting experience?

It was wonderful. Looked like old fashioned, because everyone was on set! No caravan was going back.

Meena and I were a little late to talk to Rajni sir, as we were working with her after a long time. I wasn’t sure how he would react. People change, you know? So we thought we should give him that space. But then, he came and sat down with us, and smiled, ‘Why are you girls leaving me out?!’

Meena, Rajinikanth and Khushboo during the shooting of ‘Annathe’

It was very dear to her. Nothing has changed about them in 28 years. This man still lives like a kid on the first day of school, always eager to learn. I remember a day when he was five minutes late for the shoot and apologized to the entire unit. We were like, ‘It’s okay, sir. It’s just five minutes. But he thinks that he should never keep anyone waiting for him. I think humility has always set her apart.

Dance Vs Dance Season 2 will air on Colors Tamil from October 17