Potpourri of tidbits about Tamil cinema - Vennira Aadai Nirmala
“Don’t lose heart” MGR consoled me … “Apologize”, Sivaji ordered …
MGR visited me at the hospital frequently and helped me a lot to regain my mental strength and courage. He told me, “You were seated next to your brother. He is dead, but you’ve survived. Just think over why God has saved you. You’ve some assignment left and waiting. God has saved you for some special task. Don’t lose heart, we are all here with you”. During the shooting schedule of ‘Oorukku uzhaippavan’, I used to sit alone during the gaps when I won’t be having my shot. MGR would call me and make me sit near him. I learnt many things from him during those short conversations. MGR used to have a chair, a table, a table lamp, and writing papers at the shooting spot. He would reply to the reports about him published in the magazines and newspapers. I used to wonder at his habit of replying in his own handwriting to important letters. He could easily have had a personal secretary or stenographer. But he would not do it. And, he was always very courteous to others, he would stand up and welcome people and talk to them patiently. I am following all those things that I learnt from him till date,” Nirmala recalled with overwhelming joy.
“I had a bitter experience during the shooting of ‘Sivagamiyin Selvan’, a Sivaji starrer. After attending a shooting at Ooty, I returned to Coimbatore and I telephoned to Chennai and informed that I would be a bit late for shooting. When I was putting make-up at the shooting spot in Chennai, the production manager told me that Sivaji expected me to apologize to him for being late for the shooting. I grew angry at those words and shouted that I would never apologize as I had already informed about my problem and if he was that stubborn, I would leave the spot. And, I left the spot also. My role was given to actress Latha and the movie was completed. But after many years, when I thought over the matter, I regretted. Sivaji was a great actor, I was only a new face at that time. I wouldn’t have lost my self-respect if I had apologized. At that time, my age, lack of experience and other things didn’t allow me to think. I regretted a lot for my behavior,” Nirmala mentioned the incident with genuine feelings.
When asked why she stopped acting in television serials, Nirmala said that she couldn’t get her payment from the producers fully. “It was waste of time, so I stopped. I am totally involved with my academy of arts. But I accept character roles in movies. I do what my conscience allows me do. And, I eat whatever suits my constitution. I practice yoga and dancing daily. I always remember my father’s words “Do your duty without any expectation,” Nirmala said in an effortless outpour that is typical of her always!
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