Meera Jasmine carves a niche for herself

BANGALORE: Award winning Malayalam actress Meera Jasmine, who is facing an unofficial ban in Kerala, has now carved a niche for herself in Kannada and Telugu films. She has bagged renowned filmmaker MS Sathyu's 'Ijjodu', and says playing the role of a devdasi was quite an experience.

"I'm working in films that have subjects varying from commercial to artistic films. The role in 'Ijjodu' is giving me a high level of satisfaction," Meera said.

'Ijjodu' was shot in Hassan district of Karnataka.

"The film was shot in sync sound and I had to speak in my own voice. It was a tough job for me. I had to mug up all the lengthy dialogues and they had to be pronounced with correct diction and native accent," said Meera, who won the National Award for Best Actress in 2003 for "Paadam Onnu: Oru Vilapam".

The actress reportedly faces an unofficial ban in the Kerala film industry after she refused to act in a film called "Twenty 20", which is being made by the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA). Meera's performance in films like "Perumazhakkalam" and "Achuvinte Amma" have also earned her much critical acclaim.

Meera, however, refused to comment on the ban imposed by AMMA.

Kannada actor Anirudhdh, who stars opposite Meera in "Ijjodu", is all praise for her.

"Meera can emote perfectly through her expressive eyes. She picks up the nitty-gritty of any scene perfectly. She can be a challenging co-star to any artiste around," said Anirudhdh, who is considered one of the most talented Kannada actors.

Besides "Ijjodu", Meera has signed another Kannada film "Devaru Kotta Thangi", in which she is to play Shivaraj Kumar's sister.

Said Om Saiprakash, the film director: "I did three films with Shivaraj Kumar with the story revolving around a sister's sentiment. All the three films were hits, but the first two of them 'Tavarige Baa Thangi' and 'Anna Thangi', which had actor Radhika playing the sister's role, were blockbusters.

"Now, when Radhika has stopped acting in films, I thought Meera would be exceptionally good in the role of the sister. And the story revolves around the affectionate bond between a brother and a sister."

Meera is doing impressive work in Telugu films too and her next release is "Maa Aayina Chanti Pilladu" where she has teamed up with Sivaji.

Apart from that, she has signed "Yamagola Mallivachchindhi", which has Srikanth in the male lead and the two will be seen together again in "A Aa Ee Ee".

She is also working with Jagapathi Babu in "Bangaru Babu".