Priya Mani Raj is gearing up for the release of her third web series outing with Sarvam Shakthi Mayam after The Family Man and His Story. The series weaves together a narrative that explores the transformative power of faith and strength and resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity. In an exclusive chat with News18, Priya says that she deeply believes in the divine and agrees that though faith plays an important role in everyone’s life, it becomes even more important for actors to sustain in show business. She reveals that there have been times when she has lost faith and almost wanted to give up on acting.
“There have been lots of times when I have lost faith in my initial years. When I had joined the industry in 2002, the films that I was doing took about a year or a year-and-a-half to release due to reasons like delayed post-production. At one point, one of my directors fell ill. So, we took an eleven-month gap and then resumed work. I remember telling myself, ‘Why am I doing this? Is the movie industry cut out for me? Should I continue doing films? Are they even accepting of me?’” recalls Priya.
Many would agree that the adage ‘out of mind, out of sight’ holds true for the film industry. And so, what added to Priya’s uncertainty about the longevity of her career was the fear that the audience would forget who she is. Speaking about it, she says, “At one point, announcements were made about a new actor being launched by a big director but then the movie took such a long time [to release]. In situations like that, it’s obvious that the audience will forget who you are. At that point of time, I did lose a little faith.”
After a long wait, her first Tamil film released and that changed the course of her career and helped reinstate belief in herself. It went on win her the National Film Award for Best Actress. “My parents intervened and told me to have faith and give myself another year and if it still doesn’t work out, then I can think of doing something else. Then there was one particular project that came out called Paruthiveeran (2007) in Tamil, which really took all of us to another level. I’m glad I listened to my parents and gave myself a year,” she shares.
The Raavanan (2010) and Virata Parvam (2022) actor further continues, “That project happened and the rest, as they say, is history because after Paruthiveeran, I started doing a lot of work in all the four languages in south. I think my parents’ and my grandmother’s prayers came together as a divine intervention.”
Female actors have often been at the receiving end of name calling if their projects get delayed and they don’t see the light of the day. Priya’s cousin, actor Vidya Balan, has been vocal about being called ‘jinxed’ at the beginning of her career when most of the films she was supposed to be a part of kept getting shelved. Has she ever experienced that? “They call you ‘jinxed’ when your projects don’t work back-to back. I mean, they might also call you so if your films keep getting delayed but you just can’t blame a girl for it (laughs),” says Priya.
As for Sarvam Shakthi Mayam, the web show helped nurture her faith in the divine as it gave her opportunity to visit some sacred spots. Sharing her experience, she remarks, “The energies I spent visiting the Maha Shakthi Peeths is something I can’t explain in words. To be a part of this project and getting to go to these 18 Maha Shakthi Peeths was like a divine calling because it’s not every day everyone gets a chance to do this. I would like to ask people to open up their hearts a little more and know that there’s something called the Maha Shakthi Peeth which is as powerful as temples. I’m somebody who loves history. When I was approached for this show, I didn’t know what a Shakthi Peeth or a Maha Shakti Peeth was. Through this show, we’re trying to educate people about our puraanas and the history of our gods and goddesses.”
Sarvam Shakthi Mayam will start streaming on Zee5 from June 9.
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