TV has always stood by me: Sudha Chandran

Catch her in the right mood, and one chat with Sudha Chandran can write off pre-conceived notions attached with your average tele star. Honest and grounded, Sudha can talk on varied topics when prodded gently.
An acclaimed classical dancer and actor, Sudha brings in freshness that sets the tone of the interview following her striking ringtone. ‘You too are tuned into Kolaveri Di?’, we ask; and Sudha says with a laugh, “Yes! We’ve patronised the southern songs for a long time.And now I’m so pleased that one of them is being hummed as a national anthem.”
Sudha is back on the small screen in Jhilmil Sitaaron Ka Aangan Hoga where she even performed to the Nache Mayuri (a film made on her life story which also had marked her Bollywood debut) song in a recent episode. “Those tunes took me back to the days of Nache Mayuri, when I was an average girl trying to learn the nuances of acting. It was like dancing on poetic nostalgia.”
She says, she has seen three eras of television. “I started with light hearted comedies and good stories with real-life treatment; then TV went glossy, especially with the K-series. And now we are busy making a blend of both.” So which era is closer to her heart? She says, “When I started my TV career, I was totally jobless,” Sudha shares, “People already had labelled me a ‘one-film wonder’ and that’s when TV came to my rescue. But to be honest, the K-series types of serials have been my favourite. That made a television icon out of a regular actor in me. We were discussed in trains, parties, clubs and colleges.” Doesn’t she miss that phase then? She says, “Not really. We knew that gloss and plastic have an expiry date. Now TV is changing for good.”
Sudha has done a wide array of work in regional cinema including Guajarati films and theatre. “Gujarat is very close to me,” she is excited on the very mention of it. She adds, “I won my first best actor award for my Gujarati film Kadla Ni Jod. I admire Gujaratis because they don’t know the word — impossible.” When she talks about Narendra Modi with admiration, one can’t help but think of her short political stint. Sudha quickly takes on it too. “Yes, I jumped into politics with great enthusiasm. I had done my ground work, had plans for disabled community and agendas which I thought BJP also believed in. But soon the party decided to play religious cards and all my aspirations died a natural death. So I thought it was better to leave.”
But she hasn’t left her first love, dancing, for even a moment. “I own a production company; I choreograph and perform in live shows regularly. My current project ‘Shakti’ has won lots of accolades.” What about Bollywood? Sudha says, “Nothing substantial is happening on that front, sometimes I don’t mind being called a TV actor, because that’s where my acting career really survived. After Maalamal Weekly, I haven’t done anything great in Bollywood; but TV has always stood by me.”
How does she feel when her accident is still talked about? She says, “A lot of ink and airtime has been spent on my accident. It’s in my past. Of course, it’s human psychology to keep digging into one’s past. On a personal note, I would prefer talking about my life post the accident because I think that’s always been the best part of all.”