Priyamani is one of the few southern figures who has been able to carve out a niche for herself, whether by working in Hindi and throughout the southern industries, or by attempting the OTT sector and really succeeding. With the web series Good Wife, which she leads, this period is a double bonanza for Priyamani, who has returned to Tamil. But what does she truly mean by the phrase Good Wife?

What does Priyamani think it means to be a good wife?

"In our society, women are labeled as wife, mother, homemaker, and other things. Additionally, her ability to reinvent the terminology in her own way may make her a wonderful wife. In a culture where it is simple to name a woman to promote her qualities as a loving wife. However, it's another matter if she wants to live up to her name. Priyamani said that a good wife is also a good woman, partner, and someone who redefines all of these roles, and the actions she takes to maintain the title that society has given her are what I would consider to be a good wife.

Furthermore, when discussing women and moving between different roles, one must bring up Priyamani's mother's voluntary retirement in order to help and encourage her daughter's desire to become an actress. Although the actor recognizes that some women continue to make sacrifices in order to advance their careers, he also points out that there are women who make those sacrifices and enjoy them.

“Hats off to them, and it is a bold step they have taken for their children. In my situation, it was a step when my mother did not want her daughter to be alone in the industry. It could also be because of my family’s decision to have one parent to be with me. It was not a family pressure, but it was out of choice when she took up VRS. She was running to become a bank manager and sacrifice she did was bold of her. That also becomes a good wife.”

Priyamani says that her Good Wife is just an adaptation of the American legal drama The Good Wife. Adding that it is not just a carbon copy of the original, but has been adapted to make it socially relevant to the Tamil culture. With the series dealing with a woman’s husband getting caught in a sex scandal and the wife coming to terms with it and returning as lawyer, Priyamani briefs, “How she bounces back after the scandal, how it has affected people around her, and she trying to fight back without sulking at home. The series shows the struggle of the single mother, if I may say since she is alone at home, and how she takes care of everyone at home so that she wants some sense of normalcy. This might be something that may not be in the original and other versions.”

Being a polyglot and understanding a scene

Priyamani is a polyglot, and that has helped her immensely while working in languages including Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi and Malayalam. The multi-lingual actor says that this talent helps understanding what one utters (even as otherwise someone on sets can help), but also adds a layer it helps her to emote what she says rather than emote like a parrot. “I would like to make it as convincing as possible, and I want audience to resonate and relate with how I react to themselves. That is what I probably want to take back after every film. That connectivity is what I feel and it is always an added advantage. I haven’t dubbed in Malayalam only so far, because my slang and accent are different. But that apart, you can understand what is being said.” Going a step further, Priyamani says she often sits with director or assistant directors and read the whole scene to understand the happening in that particular sequence, the characters responses and reactions. This is to make sure that she is aware about the scene.

As opposed to films, Priyamani feels series has a little more of scope to explore character arcs. She adds that OTT has become one such thing where one can explore certain touchpoints that cinema might not have given. “I get to play varied roles for the OTT. It is not everyday that I get to play Anupama (from Bhamakalapam) for a 70mm, but it was OTT film. With Family Man, I might be playing a wife, but it was a different type of role. Suchitra (from Family Man) fought with Srikanth (Manoj Bajpayee) fought with her husband when she realises that he is lying through teeth when she doesn’t know that he is a RAW agent. We in fact met some of the families of RAW agents, and that is exactly what happens. They are sworn to secrecy, and they cannot tell their families about their actual job. Sometimes I have heard that women understood that their husbands were at a job, but didn’t know what he did. So, you get to play different roles while doing web series.”

While accepting that actors may get accustomed to certain type of expressions overtime, Priyamani takes the example of Charulatha, a film she did where she portrayed as co-joined twins with opposing personalities. The actor recalls how she sat down with the team to design the looks for both of her characters. “We had conversations with my body double, how each of them reacts to the situations. It is about trying and testing, give and take helping out process.”

Does the mention of Muthazhagu irk Priyamani?

A conversation with Priyamani never ends without the mention of Muthazhagu, an iconic character she played in Paruthiveeran which even fetched her National Film Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. But does it irk her that despite 18 years of release, the character keeps resurfacing in her conversations? “Not at all, I think it is their love, encouragement and undying support for the character has made me what I am today. Even now, I keep getting messages and it feels nice that they fell for the character and film. I always feel well when they speak something nice about my characters.”

As Priyamani remains guarded and tight-lipped about Jana Nayagan and The Family Man 3, the actor says it’s too early to talk about the projects.
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