Fame and filmdom make for fickle companions. They will take you to unprecedented heights, make you feel on top of the world and just as suddenly drop you like a stone. What follows after one flop is that the phone stops ringing.
Shamna Kassim who is better known as Poorna in Kollywood has seen it all — the fame and the infamy! Suddenly she is in the news again after having signed the remake of Chattakkari in the role played by the yesteryear actress Lakshmi.
The beautiful Shamna throws light on why she accepted the role that had a lot of leading names tossed around till she signed on the dotted line. “The production house and the banner played a very important role in my deciding to do the film.
Menaka was the one who suggested my name after watching one of my Tamil song clips. Chattakkari was one of the hit films of that era and I have watched the film and what I saw was beautiful — a film with prominence given to the female lead.
I have received a title role in Malayalam after a long gap and did not want to say no! Since I had committed to a couple of Kollywood projects, I have given a straight 30 days date for the shoot and this is the best comeback vehicle that I can think of.’’
Shamna had an initial good start having acted in three films with Mohanlal but never made it big in Mollywood. Soon Kollywood and Tollywood beckoned and she made a name albeit as Poorna there. She was even complimented by the usually tight-lipped Vijay as having a resemblance to Asin. Shamna then went off the Mollywood radar.
Asked the reason she says, “The industry people here were under the impression that I did not want to do Mollywood films and that I was arrogant and money-minded. I must clarify and say that money is not the deciding factor for me — a good script, director and production house is! I want to be known as a good actress, language no bar.’’
How did a girl from an orthodox Muslim family end up with the tag of ‘hot and glamorous’ in Kollywood?
Shamna is unruffled, “My family has always stood by me and supported my decisions. I normally wear modern clothes and so wonder what all the fuss about the glamour tag is? I have rejected quite a few offers from Tollywood opposite big names because of the revealing costumes and I will never put on a bikini.’’
That part cleared, Shamna remarks that she is currently looking forward to acting in lots of films in Mollywood.