Once an actor, always an actor, they say. Kannada actress and model Maria Susairaj lived up to the saying, as she refused to rein in her theatrics even in jail.
Be it complaining about non-potable water provided in the Byculla prison causing rashes on her skin to demanding a separate cell for herself — the diva stood out among the prisoners who mostly included Nigerians arrested for peddling drugs or women arrested for being in the flesh trade.
Susairaj, who always kept away from her fellow inmates, kept making unreasonable demands from the prison authorities and also from the court. She insisted on having Biotique Shampoos, anti-acne creams, and Dove toiletries. Once, she even complained about a skin infection for which she wanted to be treated by a private doctor at a private hospital.
The actress in Susairaj never died, as she was dressed to impress every time she was produced in court. She always wore the appropriate accessories to go with whatever she was wearing — jeans, tops or a salwaar kameez. In prison, she frowned at the policemen on duty and threw tantrums. “The environment did not affect her aspirations to become an actress,” said a jail authority.
While in custody, she mostly kept herself busy by reading her case papers and the Bible. She also participated in a Crochet course and also won a Rangoli competition conducted by prison authorities last Diwali.
Her release from prison may do her well in more ways than one, as famous producer/director Ram Gopal Verma has tweeted that he would like to do a film with her.
