“There are a few films where you take some time to say yes,” says Tamil film actress Anandhi. But for Mangai, her upcoming social drama, she instinctively knew she had to be part of the film, she tells us. The first-look poster and trailer of Mangai made heads turn for its take on women’s place in a patriarchal society. While the poster shows how women are objectified in the digital era where everyone has a smartphone, the trailer gives us a glimpse at the titular character who is scrutinised by police and media. The actress calls it one of the challenging roles of her career. “I didn’t want to miss the opportunity. I have seen many people call me an underrated actress, and I think so too. But maybe Mangai will change that perception.”
Even if the actress has come to terms with the tag, she has done many films with starring roles, including Prabhu Solomon’s Kayal (2014) and the coming-of-age drama Kamali From Nadukaveri (2021). Speaking about choosing such films, the actress says, “I am just going with the flow but I have this thought inside me that when people watch a film, they should watch it because they believe indha ponnu nadicha, indha padam nalla irukum (they believe when I do a film, it’ll be good) and not because of the star cast around. I have wanted to create that impression for a long time now and so I want to choose the right scripts. Besides, such roles give me more responsibility.”