20 years of Trisha: How life comes full circle with Kundavai and ‘Ponniyin Selvan’

Trisha looks back at completing two decades in films, some of her iconic characters, and on Kundavai in Mani Ratnam’s magnum opus being a ‘woman of today set in the 10th century’

A few weeks back, a short video clip from 2000 suddenly went viral on Twitter; that of a teenage Trisha — fresh from being crowned Miss Chennai — appearing on a talk show hosted by actor Yugi Sethu. 

A 12th grader at Church Park, Trisha, who was all of 17 back then, looks aghast when asked about films. “No, no, not all! That is not my cup of tea. I’m going to stick to modelling at most; I’m very sure I won’t get into acting.”

22 years and 50-odd films later, she is most amused when reminded of that first interview. “That really was my state of mind. My family wasn’t keen on me setting foot into the film industry. In fact, that was their only condition when I started modelling; that I shouldn’t become an actor. This just goes to show how the best laid plans…” Trisha grins.

Today, she has sustained two decades in films as a leading actor with proven mettle and box-office success across languages. From her debut in Mounam Pesiyadhe (2002) opposite Suriya, to now headlining Mani Ratnam’s all-star cast of Ponniyin Selvan (2022), Trisha’s really been there and done it all. 

Her ubiquitous popularity still persists. Most recently, the PS-1 launch saw the star make her first public appearance in years — though she is sporadically active online — which was greeted buoyantly by fans. “I still value a certain level of privacy, and I’m very old-school when it comes to my social media interactions. It’s good to have a platform to voice out my opinions, but I really don’t feel I’m a very good influencer or anything. My film promotions or endorsements expect me to post once in a while... besides those commitments, I think it’s good for actors to maintain a certain element of mystery about their lives, no?” 

On to her latest project then; it’s been 18 years since Trisha first worked with Mani Ratnam, but the actor says there always remains a “certain aura” about the filmmaker that nothing can diminish.

“Working with him or Kamal sir is like going to basic school for cinema. It’s just something that fulfills your career trajectory, irrespective of what else you have accomplished. Mani sir has become calmer, yes, but his passion for the medium hasn’t changed at all. Every day is day one for him, and he makes you also get into that groove. Ponniyin Selvan was shot during peak pandemic, with all of us wearing masks and suits, before being vaccinated, and living in a bubble. But nothing could dampen his excitement,” she recalls.