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From a gawky teenager to a woman who has
her own mind and speaks it out too, Revathi has come a long way.
Bharathiraja's "Mann Vasanai" discovery is one of the
few actresses who still commands a strong fan following, with
aspiring actresses wishing to emulate her. But good roles in
films are few and far between, what with our film makers not
quite willing to look beyond the teenage factor. So Revathi, with
husband Suresh Menon, is busy producing serials for the small
screen and acting the roles she wanted to. Articulate,
intelligent and sensitive, she lends a certain dignity to her
work and respect to her profession. What comes across is her
warmth and sincerity and a certain compassion for the lesser
privileged of her counterparts. Excerpts from an interview with
the actress.
MM: Heroines here are pushed to the sidelines when they reach middle age unlike in Hollywood where they get more challenging roles. Your views on this?
RM: That is the truth and that is the scenario in Indian cinema. But some of us like Radhika, Suhasini and me, down South, and Rekha and Shabana in the North have been lucky that people have made stories for us. But basically, yes, this problem is there. And we still do not have the problems of the middle aged people taken up in films. Or stories revolving around older women, where talented actresses past their prime can be utilised. People too seem to want to see more of teenage girls falling in love, and dance sequences.
MM: Which is more satisfying - TV or films?
RM: Basically, with acting as such, there is no difference. But feature films have their own beauty, their own charm and magic. But then, TV has its own advantage. You get to perform a variety of roles and experiment with stories and characters. I don't have to do songs that I don't want to do. There is so much creation in this.
MM: Why aren't more women coming up on the technical side?
RM: In the film institutes too, girls in the technical courses are very few. I do not know the real reason but there is one thing that I have realised. Like we - Radhika, Suhasini and myself - were discussing about this sometime back. And Suhasini said, "Directing is not a joke. It is not just technical knowledge; one needs a lot of stamina, both mental and physical". It's not that women are lacking. It's just that are not ready to face something like that to take on that responsibility. Any film is a director's responsibility. Otherwise, I don't know why girls are not coming forward in the technical side. It is such a beautiful side to film making - whether it is editing or cinematography.
MM: What are the problems that a woman faces in a male dominated world?
RM: I have been very lucky that I haven’t faced any problems. My family backing is amazing whether it was my parents or my husband. So, I have been able to do what I wanted to do. I have never been forced to do anything. And it is when women in any field are forced to do something, that is where compromise begins. I’ve never ever been forced to do anything and have always had a mind of my own. I think I have quite a bit of the inner strength which is a part of me, because of the way I was brought up. I think one needs that inner strength. Further in any field, if a man is putting 100% a woman has to put in 200% work to prove herself. That’s a fact. But since recent times there have been an amazing number of women who have been able to put in that effort, and who have been able to stand because of their will power and mind power. Women should support other women in the work place and at home. The mother supporting the daughter to do what she wants. And the daughter supporting the mother, when she has a family crises. The daughter-in-law supporting the mother-in-law and vice versa. That is the only way that we can create or achieve some kind of status for women. We talk about giving rights for women. But how many women give rights to their counterparts or to other women? They don’t.
MM: What about the exploitation of women in the film industry?
RM: I really feel that women are safer in the film industry. Really! See where there is money and power there is rot. But here, a unit as a group is protective of a woman.
MM: You’re talking of a public place. I’m talking about behind the scenes exploitation.
RM: If a woman wants to keep up her
self dignity, and she decides that she is not going to achieve
something by doing everything and anything. And if she decides
that she is not going to be exploited. If she has that in her,
then she will be saved. Because there will be so many people
supporting her. But if she is willing to do anything, then you
really can’t help it. Even a woman in a secretarial job can
be harassed. It is everywhere. It’s just that the film
industry is talked about more. I do not say it is not here. It is
here too. Like I said, if women support other women, exploitation
could be brought down. And self-esteem and self-respect of other
women can be brought up.
MM: What would you tell the new girls entering the industry?
RM: These new girls and guys are so good and smart. They think, they have a mind of their own. They know what exactly they want and how they want it. They have their own way of looking at life and there is nothing much that I can advise them on.
MM: How do you react to negative publicity?
RM: I have been lucky not to have too much gossip written about me. A couple of gossips which did hurt me, I wrote directly to the concerned editor. And it worked. To one particular editor I sent a legal notice and they apologised in the next issue. And when it didn’t particularly work with one particular editor, I kind of got back at him through my TV Media.
MM: Where you made a character slap a press reporter in your serial?
RM: Yes. This character in my story writes filthy gossip to boost his circulation. And then his own daughter gives him a tight slap. I got hundreds of letters applauding it. I feel satisfied that at least I spoke up. It does not matter what others talk about me. My family should not be hurt.
MM: People in showbiz are in a much better position to help out the under privileged. But good work seems to be restricted to their birthdays and ends with their photos splashed in newspapers.
RM: I feel that at least they are doing that. How many people outside do even that? The general impression is that film-people have the money. But I know that most people whom we think have the money, really have much more responsibilities than the money they earn. Life is not very easy these days, financially and economically. So, I don’t think it is fair to put the onus of taking up for the under privileged only on the filmy people.
MM: But a common man emulates a film star and everyone knows how much a top actor makes.
RM: I know. But a lot of film people
are doing it, but everybody doesn’t have the time. See,
you’re into a project. And if Suhasini and myself have taken
away a little time, it is by eating into our career time. But
then not everybody can decide to do something like that. And then
again there are a lot of people here who are doing things which
people do not know. There is this actor who is looking after a
complete ward a hospital. There is another actor who is funding a
complete orphanage. They decided that they don’t need to
publicize it. And there are actors who, whenever I’ve called
on them for any fund raising, have always been there. But then,
as in every sphere of life, you can’t expect everyone to
feel the same way.
MM: What’s your contribution to ‘Banyan’ in particular?
RM: As far as ‘Banyan’ is concerned, I was very impressed with the kind of work Vandana and Vaishnavi were doing. So, I started helping them in whatever way I could. And today If I find some donors, I just divert them to the organisations I know. But I am not officially connected to the ‘Banyan’. Because at times it backfires. For here when people were told that Revathi was part of the organisation the funds stopped. They thought since film people are involved, they don’t need any money. That was a sad thing that happened. So, I just say that I am a friend of the social workers. I try help organisations help social workers.
MM: What about the earlier decision by a joint committee, on film artistes asked to choose between films and TV?
RM: I don’t think they can do this. Every artiste is not given a job. No monthly salary, no pension, no medical facility. You have nothing in the film industry. Most of us are surviving only because of the TV. So, there is no way you can stop that. It’s not possible. The only thing they should think about is that they have a kind of unity and solidarity among themselves. About giving clippings of new releases to satellite channels, about pirated VCDs and the cable channel. There is no need to bring artistes into it at all. The TV. medium is a powerful one, and can be used as a friend to a film-maker. And make your films better to get the audience out of their homes. I think they should take it as a challenge and make better films. ‘TITANIC’ was a big hit, a wonderful medium, it can never die. And people like us take to TV. not because we like films less. We are just not getting good offers. And one cannot survive on love and fresh air.
MM: How do you react to negative publicity?
RM: I have been lucky not to have too much gossip written about me. A couple of gossips which did hurt me, I wrote directly to the concerned editor. And it worked. To one particular editor I sent a legal notice and they apologised in the next issue. And when it didn’t particularly work with one particular editor, I kind of got back at him through my TV. Media.
MM: What about your foray into politics. Are you serious?
RM: I contested the 1996 elections as an independent. In ’99 I campaigned for the NDA. I feel that if I can make some difference I would like to do so. But I still haven’t decided on how I would like to enter politics. But one thing I know is that, here party politics is what plays. Whether I should join a party, work as an independent, or work from outside for whichever party is in power, I still haven’t decided. What I am sure of, is that I should make use of this popularity to make a difference to the people. I am not too sure if I am politician material.
MM: What do you make of the fuss over ‘Fire’ and ‘Water’ today?
RM: I haven’t seen ‘Fire’. Regarding ‘Water’ what I felt was that since the I and B Ministry had said that the script is ok., they should have been allowed to go on. They should have been protected. But apart from that to make it such a big issue, and creating such a fuss was not justified. And hitting at the govt. was not fair. The govt. has enough and more problems to tackle, and its problem is not just a film. But it was like getting unnecessary publicity. In the final analysis, all of us have our freedom of expression. And that should be protected.
Malini Mannath