Kathmandu. Director Nitesh Tiwari’s film ‘Ramayana’ is all set to be released on the occasion of Diwali. Ever since the announcement of the film, various debates have been going on regarding the casting, budget and roles. Especially the topic of choosing actress Sai Pallavi for the role of Sita has been discussed on social media.
The film stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram, Yash as Ravana and Sai Pallavi as Sita. Some social media users criticized Sai Pallavi as not suitable for the role of Sita. They argue that the actress, who has acted in earlier teleserials and films based on Ramayana, would be more suitable for the role. But there are opinions that one should not draw conclusions about the actor’s performance without watching the film.
Sai Pallavi has managed to create a different identity from other actresses due to her acting style, choice of roles and habit of using minimal make-up. Her natural beauty and realistic on-screen style is now back in the limelight.
Born in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, Sai Pallavi did her medical education in Georgia. His father belongs to the Padukar community and his mother speaks Tamil. She also said in an interview that many people mistakenly think she is a Malayali.
She came into limelight in 2008 after participating in a dance show aired on Tamil television. She has also participated in Telugu language dance programs and has been saying that her interest in dance inspired her to enter the film industry. Her dance became very popular in the song ‘Rowdy Baby’ from the film ‘Maree 2’ with Dhanush. Similarly, while playing the role of Devdasi in the Telugu film ‘Shyam Singha Roy’, her dance-oriented scenes caught the attention of the audience.
The Malayalam film ‘Premam’ released in 2015 became a turning point in Sai Pallavi’s career. In the film directed by Alphonse Puthren, she played the character of ‘Maller’. Appearing on screen with dandruff and without make-up, she gained widespread popularity from this film.
In an interview with journalist Barkha Dutt, Sai Pallavi said that she was afraid that the audience would criticize her during the performance of ‘Premam’. Mentioning that she was worried because she did not look like actresses like Simran and Trisha, she said that she was happy that the audience accepted her as she was.
In an interview given to an online medium in 2022, she shared her experience with makeup. She said that after ‘Premam’, some directors asked her to do make-up and even when she did make-up, she commented that she looked like she was not wearing make-up. He said that directors liked his natural characteristic of reddening his cheeks when he got angry.
According to Sai Pallavi, beauty cannot be defined only on the basis of external appearance. He believes that a person’s inner beauty is important. She usually prefers to use only eyeliner to make her eyes look bigger. She said that in the film ‘Virat Parvam’, she washed her face and acted without even applying eyeliner.
She has also been saying that character is more important than appearance in acting. In the film ‘Gargi’, Sai Pallavi’s performance was praised for her effective portrayal of the character’s decision after her own father was accused of sexually abusing a teenage girl. She has also acted in films like ‘Amaran’, ‘NGK’ and ‘Shyam Singha Roy’.
Talking about the role of Sita, Sai Pallavi said that not all actors get the opportunity to play the role of God. He said that he considered himself lucky because such a role could become a part of history and tried to keep his thoughts and behavior as pure as possible while playing the role.
Film writer Deepa Janakiraman says that since Sita is a mythological character, it cannot be definitively explained why she should be like this. According to him, the actress who plays the role of Sita has to face more criticism than the actor who plays the role of Ram. She mentioned that Sai Pallavi is a good actress and said that she should be evaluated based on her acting ability.
Senior entertainment journalist and critic Rohit Gilnani also said that one should appreciate or criticize a film only after watching it. Mentioning that Sai Pallavi is a talented actress, he said that it is not acceptable to make fun of someone based on physical appearance and the actress should be given a proper opportunity to show her talent. -BBC Hindi