FAST FOOD IS TV SERIAL - SAYS VADIVUKARASI

( BY N.THYAGARAJAN)

Perhaps Vadivukarasi is one of the very few actresses like Sita and Sulakshana who could fit in charming and glamorous mothers' role in films and tv serials as well and this is the reason why she is most sought after nowadays by producers. Very recently, after her mother's role in the film Sivaji for Rajnikanth she has come back to act in small-screen soaps.

"For me acting in cinema and television is the same. The only difference is that you can take enough time and act in relaxed manner for cinema, but to act for soaps you must act spontaneously, like dishes are prepared from fast-food outlets" says Vadivukarasi. The actress who was available at a remotest house in Virugambakkam was doing her role in Gauravam for the Raj TV channel.

Vadivukarasi who has 350 films and 15 TV serials to her credit to narrates about her acting career.

With her qualification in Hotel Management, the young Vadivukarasi then was able to join in the house keeping department of the Chennai Hotel Connemera. She wanted to supplement her income to support her family running under penury due to the sudden demise of her uncle and film producer and dialogue writer A.P.Nagarajan. She got a chance in the Chennai DD to anchor a live program. Spontaneity in speaking Tamil without mingling the words with English is her forte. Her friends and relatives, who watched her performances in the live program, began to advise her to act in films. That was the beginning of her career as heroine in Kanni Paruvathiley with Rajesh.

She narrates that she had faced financial problems on several occasions and the TV serials had given her a new lease of life. "It was in late 90s when the Tamil film workers went in strike, there was no film produced then, naturally like others in the industry, I also suffered. Then it was the time, Nimbus Productions, then produced a mega serial Shakthi offered me to do the role of a monk who could predict the happenings in the near future. I was given 54-page dialogue to do the role. It took only 30 minutes for me to memorize it and without any trepidation, I vomited the dialogues" says Vadivukarasi. "I was paid Rs.12,000 per day for my appearance in the serial. I was the first person to receive such huge remuneration from the producers" claims Vadivukarasi. "One can't belittle a person acting in TV serials. As I said earlier, acting for the film and TV are the same. Many derive benefit by acting in soaps, for it sharpens the acting ability of actors" says Vadivukarasi.

The actress thankfully acknowledges many tv film producers for adjusting with her the dates for her shooting. She recalls, "Many producers like Vimala Ramanan of the Hansa Vision would call all the main artistes to her office, while the dates for the schedule of shooting is drawn. Her production unit is very particular about the availability of the artistes on the scheduled dates".

Vadivukarasi is of the opinion, to make any daily soaps successful; the producers should strive to make the each day a suspenseful climax, so as to make the audiences to watch the next day episode too. She says, "People can't be cheated. The viewers possess proper skill and judgment in analyzing things. The success of soap lies in the hands of the good directors with good story lines and short footages".
When asked about the artistes who are often portrayed in negative characters face severe criticisms and scathing attacks of the public if they are out of their houses, the actress replied, "If they face any attack, it means the serial is doing well and the story had settled down in the minds of the people", laughs Vadivukarasi and with a pause, "I have never seen Vimala Ramanan portrayed any character in her serials negatively. I have done at least seven serials for them. She used to tell all those who were born on this earth with negative character one day would realize their mistakes and at a certain point of time they become good".

Vadivukarasi is now busy with the schedules with various Tamil films and is also acting in mega-serials like Megala and Gauravam. She gratefully acknowledges Mother Aurobindo's blessing makes her to feel lightly whatever be the obstacles that come in her way. She said that she had lost all her earnings over a row with her husband in the year 2003 and she was able to run her family because of the Mother.

She had acted in many other serials like Archanai Pookal, Kudumbam, Agal Vilakku, Amman, Muhurtham and a dozen of other soaps won her name.