Will not discard glam image away from my body, says actor Kiran Rathod

CHENNAI: Kiran Rathod was in Chennai last weekend and she made the best out of it. From visiting temples to tasting dosas and idlis to meeting her friends in Chennai, she certainly was having a ball. Most importantly, her attendance at the audio launch of Mrs and Mr, produced by Vanitha Vijayakumar was the talking point. This is her first project in 10 years. “I was and I am still trying hard to get back into the Tamil industry. I would be lying if I told you that I haven’t called anyone and checked if there is a project which I can be a part of. I definitely don’t go out of my way to be cast in a film. I am a laidback person and now I have started to check if there are good projects where I can land a good role,” says the actor.

After playing the leading lady in hit and critically-acclaimed films like Kamal Haasan’s Anbe Sivam, Ajith’s Villain, Vikram’s Gemini, Vijayakanth’s Thennavan, and Prashanth-Sundar C’s blockbuster Winner, Kiran was not in the grand scheme of things in the Tamil movie industry. “I remember how I was sitting at home after delivering such hit films. I called my manager to ask if I have work, I was told that since I wore a bikini for a song in Winner, people are not willing to cast me. It has been a lot of years, and I am still asking if people lose out on offers just for wearing a bikini that too in a hit film, “ she smiles.

When it comes to Mrs and Mr, Kiran recalls her call with Vanitha Vijayakumar. “There is a song in Mrs and Mr that is loosely inspired from the Sivarathiri song from Michael Madana Kamarajan. I asked if rights have been acquired and I couldn’t believe that I can look hot after all these years in front of the camera. I am sure I pulled it off. I was very skeptical because to face the camera after 10 years is not easy. But when I looked at the monitor, I couldn’t notice a huge difference between how I looked in Mutthina Kathirikka and now,” remarks the actor.

Kiran has a loyal fanbase for the pictures and videos she posts on her social media accounts as well. She also went on to open her own app during the lockdown. Ask her if that decision backfired on her film career, she replies, “What I do on social media is beyond my bread and butter. I want to afford my own things and not depend on my parents’ money. Also, I had nothing to do during the lockdown in 2020, which is why I launched my own app. I don’t think I really crossed the line and went all out in posting vulgar images. There are other female actors, who have posted pictures in two-piece pictures. Just because I have a voluptuous body doesn’t mean that I can be written off or judged. Someone morphed my pictures with a porn actors and I immediately filed a complaint with the cybercrime team, with proof. I know where to draw a line when it comes to being responsible in a public forum.”

Kiran has now shifted her base to Chennai and has chalked a path for her comeback. “I have listened to a few scripts and will be signing Tamil web series as they have depth in character arcs. Meanwhile, I will continue doing glam roles. I cannot discard glamour away from my body and I will play such characters as well. I am now mostly in Chennai and shifted there in search of good work. In short, I am back in the Tamil industry,” the actor signs off.