playback singer, who is lonely at the top.
The film is directed by Rajeev Anchal, who is noted for his offbeat films. It has not been a bed of roses for the actress, who till recently, faced an unofficial ban in the Malayalam film industry, due to the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA). The reason? The actress walked out of Twenty:20, a film produced by AMMA, because she had no dates.
Meanwhile, Meera changed tracks and decided to do more films in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada. So far, she has a total of six releases this year, the highest for any heroine in the south. She also seems to have her kitty full, as she is doing four Tamil films at the moment. The projects include Malaiyoor Mambattiyaan with Prasanth, Adhi Narayana with newcomers, Sivappu Mazhai with newcomer Suresh Joachim and Pen Singam, which is based on Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi’s novel — Suruli Malai, with Uday Kiran.
Despite being busy with Kollywood, Meera’s heart has always been set on Malayalam cinema. Her roles in Mollywood have fetched her maximum awards and has given her the image of a powerful performer and an actress of substance in the foreign film festival circuit. She is now being considered to play the heroine in a famous Hindi art house director’s forthcoming film, the script discussion of which is on. The Kollywood grapevine has it that Meera, who still refuses to talk to the press about her stormy personal life, is now trying to reinvent herself. The buzz is that she has distanced herself from Mandolin Rajesh, who was her constant companion.
Says Rajeev Anchal who is bringing her back to Malayalam cinema, “Meera Jasmine is one of the finest young actors in Indian cinema. She has a lot left in her. After reading the script of Pattinte Palazhi, she readily agreed to do the film. I would have dropped the project if Meera had refused it, because nobody else can do it. Revathy too will be playing an important role in this film which is based on the life and times of a singer.”
