As Laila headlines Sun NXT’s recently released micro drama, Move On Rajeshwari, this month marks the actor’s third decade in the film industry. However, the actor, who shared screen space with the biggest stars of cinema like Vijayakant, Mohanlal, Suriya, Ajith Kumar, and Prabhu Deva, says her decision to do the micro drama came from her newfound freedom as a performer.
As she dives into the technicalities of filmmaking with passion, Laila admits she’s not much of a movie buff. Even as she feels grateful, Laila explains how a not-a-moviebuff went on to cross thirty years as an actor. “I never wanted to be an actor,” she begins.
Then Laila made her Tamil debut in the 1999 Vijayakanth starrer Kallazhagar. “Once I started acting, I got a lot of offers in Hindi films, but I really value my privacy, and I hated the idea of people knowing me in Mumbai. So, when I got offers in the South, I was very excited because now I can have the best of both worlds,” she says.
Even though she confesses to not keeping up-to-date on what goes on in the film industry, she still fosters a deep love for the medium. “Films are a fantastic medium for propagating new and interesting ideas. Society is getting more broad-minded, and I would love to see films reflecting societal change,” says Laila, who thinks she could take up direction at some point in her career. Ask what kind of films a Laila directorial would look like, and she is quick to answer. “I would love to make a thriller, something with a lot of suspense.” The actor’s favourite thriller is the 1996 Cameron Diaz-starrer, Head Above Water.
As far as the wishlist goes, direction is quite further away for Laila. However, on what role she would like to revisit again, she recounts a recent conversation with director Priya. “I was just telling her how I would love to do a sequel to Kanda Naal Mudhal. We have thought about it a lot, but she is busy with other projects now. Priya, Karthik, Prasanna and I are still really close, and I think we would love to get back on set again.” She agrees that if at all Kanda Naal Mudhal 2 happens, it has to be a Yuvan Shankar Raja musical. “That is one person we cannot do without,” she concludes with her characteristic smile.
Starring Prasanna, Karthik Kumar and Laila, and directed by Priya V, Kanda Naal Mudhal is a 2005 Tamil romantic comedy about two lifelong rivals who unexpectedly fall in love.
Source: Cinema Express
