Cinema Has Taught Me To Accept Life As It Is

I was the third 'unwanted' girl child in Paramakudi, a small Tamil Nadu town. It was the 1960s; everyone came and paid their condolences to my parents," she said chuckling.

- NITIKA KRISHNA

I was the third 'unwanted' girl child in Paramakudi, a small Tamil Nadu town. It was the 1960s; everyone came and paid their condolences to my parents," she said chuckling. Suhasini Maniratnam has made her mark in the film industry-both in front of the camera and behind. She told TMS: "Women empowerment starts at home. My mother raised me to be independent and my father was progressive. He was the one who encouraged me to become an actress." Suhasini, who is part of the illustrious Haasan family, is married to director Mani Ratnam.

But for Suhasini, riches have never been the first attraction. Instead, service and empathy are of utmost importance, which is why she set up the Naam Foundation, a non-profit organisation focused on empowering single women from underprivileged backgrounds.

She says, "When you've 'made it' in life, you need to help others too." Suhasini has definitely 'made it'-but her entry into the world of films was accidental. Her father, Charuhasan, doted on his third daughter; one day, he wanted to teach her some karate. "But in the process, I held him and pulled him down. His spine got injured. My paati (grandmother), who had moved to Chennai to live with her younger son and budding actor Kamal, decided that from then on, I would live with them."