'It's called supporting actors,' Andrea on being called a character artiste

CHENNAI: Actor, producer and musician Andrea Jeremiah, who is on a promotional spree for her latest film 'Mask', recently at a media interaction, condemned how supporting actors are dismissed as character artistes.

During the interaction, a journalist asked Andrea on the Selvaraghavan directorial Aayirathil Oruvan (2010) on attaining cult status over the years, despite receiving little recognition upon it's release in 2010.

"Why do you ask me about the recognition, like you had mentioned, I am just a character artiste, you should probably ask the lead actors, Karthi or Reema Sen," she said.

She called for everyone to respect supporting actors and not dismiss them as character artistes. "I have a huge respect for the so-called 'character artiste', it is only in our Tamil cinema that we consider them character artistes. In Hollywood or even in Malayalam cinema, lead actors take up supporting characters, because what matters is the role," she explained.

"We have legendary performers in Tamil Cinema who are not lead but supporting actors, who hold a film together. Their contribution to a film is huge," she added, giving examples of actors Prakash Raj, Urvashi and the late Manorama.

Andrea's production and acting venture Mask hit the screens today, directed by Vikarnan Ashok, co-starring Kavin and Ruhani Sharma.