Tamil Cinema is soulful, says Sreeleela

CHENNAI: Sreeleela walks into Phoenix Marketcity in Velachery and sees a huge weekend crowd that has battled heavy rains to shop for Christmas. “I have stayed in Chennai on a long haul, and this is my first time in this mall, and I am excited to see people in huge numbers, who have come for shopping,” she says and reminisces about the Christmas month during her childhood. “I was one of those who always went to malls to shop for Christmas. I can’t finger out a particular go-to brand. But I am not a window shopper, and I buy things on the go,” she adds.

Sreeleela’s favourite Christmas memory is playing secret Santa, she says with a huge smile. “When I was in school, we took a fishbowl and put a few chits in it, and we gave each other some gifts. This conversation has given me that thought, and I would definitely want to play secret Santa this year. Coming to gifts in school days, they were colour pencils and cute pencil boxes. But I go all out when it comes to gifting my mother. It is usually necklaces or earrings for her,” she opens up.

The conversation now veers towards Parasakthi, a film set that she has spent a lot of time on lately. Talking about her costars, she says, “They are all amazing and are unique in their own way. Sivakarthikeyan sir is holistic, and even in the film, the way he has carried himself is charismatic. Ravi sir is immensely powerful, and Atharvaa comes across as a charming person.”

With films like Skanda, Guntur Kaaram, Mass Jathara, and now making her debut in Tamil with Parasakthi, Sreeleela says that she is grateful. “I have immense gratitude for whatever I have been showered with so far. It is a huge responsibility that I see as and I have to be cautious about the choices I make in the coming years. Healthcare is something that I have been inclined towards for a long time. I would want to make a change in that as well,” remarks the actor.

Talking about her initial observations of Tamil cinema, Sreeleela states, “Tamil cinema is soulful.

From my personal experiences, be it on or off sets, my team has never made me feel like a debutant.

They have been warm and, of course, have been feeding me with the yummiest idlis and dosas.”

Having worked across industries, Sreeleela believes that writers have started opening up to penning good female characters on screen. “I think we are getting there. I am glad that I am a part of it when it is in the process. It took me a while to get such roles, but better late than never. And I wish to tread this path carefully. I wish to make good cinema as Tamil cinema has always given well-written female characters. There are a gazillion things on my wishlist, and directors who think that a role will be different for me, this is a shout-out for you all,” she concludes with a smile.