Kushboo Sundar

You’ve been a part of Indian cinema since the age of six. It’s been almost 45 years in the industry. Looking back, what do you think shaped you the most as a performer?
I think every film has been a highpoint for me and has shaped my career. I remember everything very vividly as every moment in the industry has been very special for me. The first shoot as a child actor, my first film as a lead in all the languages I’ve worked in, the first day shoot in all the languages I have worked in – Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada or Malayalam, all of them have been very special. I somehow never considered celebrating my success. I don’t know why, but it’s probably because I was so busy working that I didn’t have the time to celebrate. But I do remember my lowest points because there’s so much to learn from them. These 45 years of my career have been very wonderful, fun loving, roller-coaster ride. I’m very fond of roller coasters, where there are ups and downs and jerks and sudden sharp turns, the entire life going topsy turvy, then going up and finding your way back to the ground.

Can you recall how you got your first role as a child actor?
It was very accidental. I used to be a very regular visitor to Hema Maliniji’s place. That’s when Ravi Chopra uncle saw me and he asked me to do the film. He actually approached Hemaji’s mom Jaya Chakravarthy. We all called her Mummyji very fondly. So he spoke to Mummyji and she asked me if I wanted to act in films. I had one condition as a kid, which was, ‘If they give me an ice cream every day on the set I will do the film’. So Ravi uncle agreed and that’s how I started doing my first Hindi film as a child actor. And my first film in the south was Kaliyuga Pandavulu in Telugu and that came in because Venky saw one of my Hindi films. Venky was being introduced in Kaliyuga Pandavulu, so he recommended my name to his dad and brother and Raghavendra Rao sir saying that I think this girl would suit the role very well of a very naïve, innocent college student, but with a resilience. When they offered me the film, I grabbed it with both my hands. My dad was not keen as he felt that South Indian films are for flop Hindi artists, not for people to make careers. But I was very keen because Venky was being introduced and I knew the film will be made on a very big scale, and it was directed by K Raghavendra Rao. So, I didn’t want to miss that opportunity. I remember fighting with my dad and telling him that even if you don’t want me to do it, I’ll still do this film.

You acted in so many languages; how did you adapt every time to different cultures?
Cultures are more or less the same, whether we are in Mumbai or Chennai. In 54 years of my life I’ve lived in Bombay only for 16 years. The rest I’ve lived in Chennai. So I’m more of a true blooded Chennaite, but it’s all about how you perceive it. I was busy working, so I didn’t even have the time to look into it. It was very important for me to adapt the language, for the simple reason that I find it very difficult to take prompting. So, for me to go without prompting, I have to learn the language and learn my lines. Until I don’t understand what I’m going to speak and till I don’t understand what my co-actor is speaking, I won’t be able to react naturally. So, for me to react and to perform, it was extremely important that I learned the language. I didn’t have a tutor to learn any of the languages. I learnt on the sets. I spoke to my lightman, my production boys, the dancers, the fighters, the drivers and basically everyone on the sets and that is how I learnt all the languages.

There was this Kushboo mania going on those days, and people were going crazy and there was a temple built in your name. How did you process that kind of fame?
When I look back, I feel that I didn’t even enjoy that period because I was busy doing four or five shifts a day. So, when this temple was built, I couldn’t even read Tamil then, but then of course people did tell me that there’s a temple built in your name. I was just so busy working that time, that I didn’t even have any time to react to it. And when the time came to react and it sunk in that there’s a temple in my name and people are worshipping me as a Goddess, it was already old news, so I couldn’t react to it. I’m really blessed that I missed that period as it didn’t go into my head or gave me any airs or attitude. So my feet were very firmly on the ground. Maybe if I had given time to how my fans were idol worshipping me then and not focussed on my work, it could have been different. I didn’t give it my time and thought at that moment, so it probably came as a blessing that I was busy and I didn’t let it sink in, because probably at some point, I could have got carried away, become arrogant or taken my career for granted that people will worship you, so whatever you do are going to do is going to have a Midas touch. So I’m glad that I didn’t let my success and fame penetrate, sink in and settle in my mind.

Which of your projects have been most fulfilling creatively?
Doing more than 200 films in all the languages it is very difficult to pinpoint only a couple of films, because everybody puts in the same effort. Some films do well, while some don’t. My fans can decide which ones they like the most. But I remember every film shoot clearly. Every memory is very clear and extremely vivid in my mind. If anyone asks me about a particular scene in Ooty or Rajahmundry or somewhere else, I’ll tell you okay this is what happened. So I can’t pinpoint and name only a couple of films.

Did you envision earlier in life that you’ll also be entering politics?
Definitely not. If somebody had asked me 20 years ago will you be entering politics I would have replied ‘Never, not my cup of tea at all’.

When you entered politics, were you a little apprehensive on how it’s going to be as it was completely new domain for you?
Not at all. If that was the case, I wouldn’t have been in politics. I enjoy being in politics, I enjoyed doing what I’m doing. And for me, it’s extremely important that I really enjoy whatever I do. I can’t do anything half-heartedly. I have to give it 200 percent.

What do you think about the women’s role in cinema and how it has changed over the years?
It’s always changing. It’s a cycle that keeps revolving and evolving. When I walked into cinema, people would ask me, ‘Will you get the kind of roles that Radhika has done. I’m sure when Radhika and Sridevi were in films, they would have asked, oh, will you play roles that Savitri has done? So I think people keep comparing. After me they started saying, Actresses don’t have roles, they’re just glam dolls. But now the times have come again, where the girls do find very, interesting roles. I think it’s just a phase.

How do you balance all this – politics, movies, family and public persona and so much more?
Where there’s a will there’s a way. It’s as simple as that. It’s all in your mind. If you say that it’s difficult, I can’t do it, you’ll never be able to do it. If you say it’s okay, I can do it, then you’ll be able to do it. I’m basically a person who likes to keep myself busy because I truly believe that an idle mind is a devil’s workshop. I like juggling a lot of things as I can do it very easily. I’m good at multitasking.

May is celebrated as the Mother’s Day month. Tell us about the mother- daughter bonding you both share?
Avantika has been a complete Daddy’s baby right from the time she was born. She would smile only when her father was around. She would stick to me, cling on to me inwards, she would never face the crowd, but all her joy, all her laughter, all her giggle, everything would be reserved for the father. We used to call her Jumping Jack when she was young, because every time she saw her dad, she would start jumping. That excitement was there and she would keep jumping till her dad carried her. And in fact, when she was born, the first time she opened her eyes was to her father, the first words she uttered was Appa, the first time she walked to someone was her dad. The first time her dad was carrying her and I remember she tried to fall out of his hands and he carried her. All her firsts have been with her dad.

In fact, she and I are much closer now after she’s grown up. Like all teenagers there has been a phase where whatever the mother says, they want to do just the opposite of that. So, whatever I did or said, she was always against it. But now she is matured. She has become very understanding now. I’m so glad that we’re bonding well. She’s grown up into a very, fine understanding lady and I’m very proud of her. But even today most of her hugs and kisses are reserved for her dad. Even on phone, if her dad is shooting or if he’s traveling, she’s always more pally with him and if he says Appa ku muttham ma?, she will give him all the kisses and if I say Amma ku muttham, ma? she will say bye. She is a total dad’s girl.

There’s buzz that Avantika will not be launched under your own production banner—is that true?
Yes, that’s true. If we do that, it’ll feel like everything is handed to her too easily. I want her to learn the hard way. If we serve everything on a platter, how will she really learn? I won’t go with her to hear story narrations or track her schedule – that’s her journey, and she has to handle it on her own. Of course, she has all the privileges, like having a production house, a director at home and an actor mother who can guide her, but we don’t want to hand it over to her just like that.

Would you like to recall some roles you wish you had done that you couldn’t do?
I wish I had done all of Mani Ratnam’s films, all Ilayaraja’s films, all of Bharathiraja and also all of K. Bhagyaraj’s films. All these films where heroines have had a very strong role and the films have been huge box office successes. I wish I had done all those films.

Describe yourself in three words?
Happy, easy going and very deep.

Some of the guilty pleasures that you indulge in sometimes?
Ice cream.

What are the current projects you’re working on?
I am doing one Telugu film currently. I’m also doing a Tamil film at the moment. I’m also getting back to Tamil television with Sarojini, a serial about a middle-aged entrepreneur. Surprisingly, I have not been getting the kind of films that I would like to do, so I’d rather wait than just agree to act in any film that comes my way. Now there’s OTT platform also and I would love to dwell in something on OTT, but I haven’t got anything that I feel will be right for me. I do keep getting offers, but nothing that interests me. I love to look after my home. So, if I have to leave the comfort of my home and go to the sets for a shoot, it has to be something very interesting and substantial.

One more thing is, I agree I’m a little expensive artist, but that’s one point which I’m not ready to compromise on, when it comes to the commercial aspect. So, at times probably it becomes a hindrance, but that’s okay, I’d rather wait than get lost in a crowd. I’ve seen box office success, I’ve seen many headlines and front pages, I’ve seen breaking news, I think I’ve seen it all. So, I think it’s important that if I do something now, it should be worth my time. I’m totally ready for it but it should be something very good.

Rapid Fire
Coffee or tea?
Tea.
Beach or mountains?
Mountains.
Books or movies?
Movies.
Early morning or late nights.
Mornings.
Dogs or cats?
Dogs.
Favourite role you played so far?
Chinna Thambi, Michael Madana Kama Rajan, Singaravelan, Annaamalai and a few others.
Dream director?
Mani Ratnam.
One actor that you still want to act with?
Kamal Haasan.
A film you wish you had been a part of?
All of Mani Ratnam’s films.
One word your friends use to describe you?
Easy going.
One word your family use to describe you?
Tough taskmaster.
Some of the most romantic things Sundar C has done for you?
What’s that? I don’t think romance is there in his dictionary.
He hasn’t done anything romantic ever?
The only thing that my husband has ever done in these 30 years is proposed to me. That’s it.
Why do men change?
I don’t think my husband changed. He’s still the same. He was never romantic even earlier. He can’t express himself. He doesn’t say I love you, he doesn’t say he is mad about you. He just can’t, but of course, we love each other.
A superpower you’d love to have?
Read minds of other people, especially that of my daughters and my husband.
If not acting what you would you be doing?
Air hostess.
What do you like to do in your personal time?
Cook, clean, gardening and drive everyone up the wall.

Avantika Sundar

How has growing up in a family deeply rooted in the film industry shaped your perspective on acting and filmmaking?
I had a relatively normal upbringing. Normal may mean different things for different people. While growing up, I didn’t have as much exposure to the industry as people would assume. Although my family has been in the film industry, I was always given a lot of creative freedom in the house. I could do what I wanted to do in life. They didn’t ever impose on me doing this or that. I had heard stories from other star kids who because of family pressures may not have been able to pursue what they wanted. I was told ‘Pursue any field or do anything that is close to your heart, but just do your best.’ So, my decision to go to London to study acting was my own. Most of the times it’s a natural progression for the kids who want to become doctors or lawyers like their parents. So, for me it was a mix of seeing my parents do it and also growing up watching movies, shows and actors performing and putting their best – that really inspired me and I decided I want to do this too. I always knew growing up that I wanted to become a storyteller. You know one way or the other.

How are you preparing to make your debut in the industry?
I’m listening to scripts, meeting a lot of people listening to things and all that. There are some projects in the pipeline, but unfortunately, I can’t say anything more than that right now. I’m taking dance classes and also training in boxing and all those regular preparations for my debut in the industry. My dance teacher comes home to teach me dance. It’s more of freestyle dance that I love doing.

What difference did you see in the acting lessons in London from that in India?
Primarily what I learnt in London for screen acting was a lot more of the technical aspect of things. A lot of learning, the different schools of acting, but in India, it’s a little different and is kind of changing. Here in India you shoot and then you can dub later. Over there it’s not like that. You have to record in your own voice. I’m not talking of the technical aspects there which I quite frankly wasn’t even aware of. These schools of acting, the different methods, learning what works for me or what doesn’t work was a lot of fun.

What kind of skin care and fitness routine do you follow?
I do five days a week of fitness training. I alternate between weight training and boxing.
My skincare is very basic – face wash, toner and moisturiser and SPF.

The inevitable question you will always be asked – how do you plan to navigate this ongoing nepotism debate?
There will always be inevitable comparisons. I am already acknowledging that I am from the family that has been in the film industry for so long. It will be very ignorant and stupid of me to even counter anything like that. It’s true. I’m not gonna come out and say I have done it all on my own or that nobody helped me. I have all the contacts with me and I’m meeting people from the industry because of who my family is. But another side of that is that’s all that is there. It’s just the meeting and the initial connections. It is more like networking, but at the end of the day whoever I’m meeting, should also like me and find me fit for the role in the movies they’re making. That will be based on who I am and my talent and not based on who my parents are. Eventually, I have to put in the hard work that’s required to be successful. At the end of all of it I have to see whether the audience accepts me or not. So, the onus at the end is all on me. Yes, with my family being who they are, it helps me get my foot through the door, but finally I have to prove my worth. Expectations will be there because of my background and I hope I can keep up to those expectations.

There are not many tall heroes in the industry. Do you think there may be certain setbacks on the right kind of pairing with actors owing to your height?
Yes, I am tall. I am much taller than other woman in general out there. I used to be very conscious of it earlier. It was a big concern of mine early in my life and I went through a phase of low self-esteem in a way. I would get hurt and worry if my height would be a hindrance. People even said I shouldn’t even try to get in the film industry because of my height. But now I don’t think it’s a big deal as there are many short actors who have worked with taller actresses and made it big. Height is a very superficial thing these days. Camera angles can really adjust everything. You can be tall or short, however, when it comes to acting especially unless you have talent you cannot make it big. I hope the audience love my acting and accept me for who I am.

Any valuable lesson you learn during your drama school in London?
One thing that really stayed with me, is, that you have to be open especially when you’re performing. I haven’t done much of acting other than some school plays and some plays in college. You have to be open to listening to what others have to say, whether it’s the director or your co-actors, you just have to be open and listen.

What kind of roles excite you the most?
I will be very selfish as an actor and say I want to do everything at the moment – from comedy to horror to romance, drama, tragedy, you name it. I don’t want to put myself in one little box and want to do absolutely anything and everything.

What’s the best piece of advice your parents have given you about the industry?
One thing that they’ve always told me from a very young age is – give your best to everything that you do…everything else will follow. Especially in the cinema industry, failures can happen at any time. It’s very volatile and I am personally petrified of that happening, but I can’t let that fear hold me back. So, I want to do everything I can and do it to the best of my ability.

Any specific director or actor you dream of working with?
There are many, but I feel if I say it out loud, I will jinx it

Your mom said you’re more of a Daddy’s baby. Tell us about the mother daughter bonding you share?
I’m not a very expressive person. I’m emotional but I don’t show my emotions all that well. That’s something I’m not struggling with, because that’s who I am as a person. I’m not very vocal of my emotions or affection. I should be, but I’m not. I’m working on it, but I’m just not very open about showing my affection physically to my mom. The touching, hugging and kissing, I’ve never been that kind of person, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love my mother. I’m very close to my mom. She has been there for me through a lot of things and through many ups and downs in my life. She’s never told me that I shouldn’t have done this or that. Both my parents for that matter, have always been there for me. Particularly through the tough times. If I would say, I don’t want to talk about something, I knew they would let it be. They never push or pester me. I just have that very special relationship with them and my mom, has also been through a lot with me since I was a child – very good times and very bad times. She is the most special person in my life.

Would you like to recall any special moments together or special travel memories that helped shape the relationship that you both share today?
When I was a teenager, I struggled a lot with my mental health, like a lot of people my age do these days. I didn’t know how to deal with it then. I didn’t understand what was going on. It was that typical age of 13 or 14 which is confusing as there’s so much going on in your world and you don’t know how to do deal with it. I struggled with depression and 10 years back in those days no one was really talking about mental health and depression and how one could deal with it. My mom stood by me at that time and took me to see a therapist. Not many people knew of therapists in those days as it was supposed to be all very hush-hush. Of course, now it’s very common. But in those days you didn’t talk about these things and just had to deal with it on your own.

Although she was busy working, she made sure she came with me to the therapist for every single session. She was always there for me every moment I was undergoing any kind of depression, despite her travels or busy schedules. Anytime I felt distressed, I would call her and she would drop everything and come to me. That really shaped our relationship and then soon I got over all that depression. Soon amazing things started happening to me. I moved to London and my mom spent the first couple of weeks with me to help me settle down there. The two of us spent some amazing time together in London. I will always treasure those moments – going out for sightseeing, to eat, having fun, going for movies and theatre, and shows and setting up my house. I graduated from a drama school in London. She’s been there for all my highs and lows never judging me at any moment or holding anything against me.

Did it intimidate you while you were growing up because your mom was so famous?
It didn’t intimidate me, but when I was very young, it used to confuse me sometimes. My mom was there for everything. I used to go for shoots with her. Back then nobody had phone cameras so they would ask for her autograph. I had seen her signatures for school report cards and leave letters but I couldn’t understand why random people were asking for her signatures. And then I think when I was around eight, I started realising she’s famous that’s why they need her signatures.

When did you start watching her movies?
I never watched any of her movies. It was a conscious decision. I knew her as my mom who is scolding me to eat my food or looking after my other basic needs like making sure I go to school on time and doing my homework on time and studying for exams. So, I never saw her as an actress who is something else on the silver screen. Her success and all that she achieved is amazing, but at home, she was always my mom. She didn’t let that affect anything at home.

Rapid Fire
Your dream role?
I loved the character of Geet from Jab We Met. I love Kareena Kapoor, so I would love to act in those kind of characters.
Yoga or gym?
Both.
Indian food or global cuisine?
Both.
Closest friends from the industry or outside?
Mostly outside. But I have a cousin who’s from the industry.
Beaches or hills?
Beaches.
Veg or non-veg?
Non veg.
Fame or money?
Difficult, maybe both.
Indian wear or Western wear?
Depending on the day and occasion to be honest.
Straight hair or curls?
Curls.
The last good film/web series you watched?
Adolescence.
Your most treasured childhood memory?
This happened when I was 15. I always grow up with dogs who was all over my social media. The day she came home and all the months when I bonded with her will always be my treasured childhood memory.
One thing that makes you feel beautiful?
When I look in the mirror, I am happy with how I look and feel.
Your favourite holiday destination so far? And a destination that’s on your bucket list?
I had taken a solo trip a couple of years ago to Rome and had a great time.
Japan is next on my bucket list.
What’s your idea of a perfect date?
Sushi and a couple of drinks.
Your first love?
I’m with him right now.
How would you define love?
Comfort and support and to be able to be yourself in front of the one you love.
Something most romantic anyone’s ever done for you?
Took me to an aquarium.
Top 3 things you would want in a life partner?
Supportive, not being judgemental and the ability to have even uncomfortable conversations.