Who can forget Sengodan’s daughter Sevuli the girl who radiated rustic charm while falling in love with Malaichamy’s nephew in the 1985 super duper Tamil film Mudhal Mariyadhai by Bharathiraja?
Like film buffs, Ranjini (originally Sasha Selvaraj) who immortalised Sevuli also cannot forget that role easily. It was her debut film and a challenge in many respects.
She had to act in the company of the legendary Sivaji Ganesan and Radha, the undisputed queen of Tamil film world then.
Ranjini whose family was in Singapore then had flown down to Chennai taking a break from studies with the hope that the shooting would get over within two weeks.
“Bharathiraja being a perfectionist, it didn’t happen that way. And believe me, I didn’t do any acting in the film. I just did what Bharathiraja told me,” Ranjini told DC.
The talented actress, who is originally from Tirunelveli, went on to play some memorable roles in Tamil and Malayalam films but suddenly disappeared from the reel world.
She is now settled in Kochi and is happily married to a Malayali businessman Pierre Kombara. Ranjini, who opted out of the glamorous film world when she had reached the pinnacle of her career, says she doesn’t have any regrets.
She was introduced in Mollywood by director Lenin Rajendran who gave her the meaty role of Sugandhavalli alongside Anant Naag in the 1987 period film Swathi Thirunal which won critical acclaim. Ranjini followed up her Swathi Thirunal success with a sterling performance in the 1988 Priyadarsan film Chithram which broke box office records.
“I’ve acted with most of the top stars. It was in Kottayam Kunjachan relased in 1990 that I acted last with Mammootty in the lead,” Ranjini said. Interestingly, it was the thirst for knowledge that prompted Ranjini to quit films. After meeting different kinds of people in the film world, the importance of education dawned on her, apparently.
“When I looked back, I realised that I lacked in education. So, I went to London to do my degree in credit management. Later, I also did my LLB,” she said. After completing her education, she worked with a multinational company as credit management consultant.
She also worked for BBC for a short time. How was it to cope with corporate culture after being the centre of attention in the tinsel world? “Initially, it was a difficult. But, I’ve the ability to adapt,” Ranjini said.
Though she acted in a number of films, the most satisfying film for her still continues to be Swathi Thirunal. “It should be because the film gave me opportunity to show my dance skills,” she said.
Ranjini, of course, doesn’t act in films now. However, that doesn’t mean she has quit the film industry for ever. “I never made an announcement like that. I had to say no to both because of my busy schedule,” she says. So, will be act in a film anytime soon? The answer, as you can guess, is just a mischievous smile!
