Sudha Chandran On Being Only Specially Challenged Star In Industry: Agenda Main Actress Banana Nahi...- EXCL

Renowned

actress and classical dancer Sudha Chandran has been a part of the film industry for over two decades. Known for starring in South films, and Hindi TV shows as well as films, the actress was involved in a tragic bus accident while travelling with her parents. This led to the amputation of her right leg below the knee. Defying the odds, she made a remarkable return to the stage 20 months later with the help of a Jaipur foot. The actress' journey is an inspiration to all. Recently, she engaged in an insightful chat with us and opened up about being the only specially challenged person in the film industry. Chandran also revealed why she gave up the hopes to become an actress.

Sudha Chandran reveals never having the agenda to become an actress

When asked about what inspired her to become an actress and how she overcame the challenges of being specially challenged person, Sudha shared that acting was never part of her plan. She said, "Actress banna toh kabhi mere agenda main tha hi nahi, because actress banne ke liye certain qualities ki zarurat hoti hai. Wo sab toh main kho chuki thi. It's just that ki main dancer thi. Ab aisa koi specially challenged person iss industry main aaj tak kisi ne kadam nahi rakha hai. It has never happened in the history of the film industry - toh maine kabhi is barey main socha bhi nahi tha. Meri jab ek autobiographical film bani tab jaa kar main from a dancer to a survivor, main ek actress bani. Toh by default aap bol dijiye ya fir wo bhi mere takdeer main likhi thi, I don't if it's God's blessing ya fir ek hota hai na precedent hota hai ki agar ye ladki kar sakti hai toh baki log isi category ke log bhi soch sakte hai iske barey main."

(Translation: I never had becoming an actress on my agenda, because acting requires certain qualities, and I felt I had lost all of them. I was simply a dancer. Until then, no specially challenged person had ever stepped into this industry, it had never happened in the history of cinema, so I never even thought about it. It was only when an autobiographical film was made on my life that my journey from a dancer to a survivor turned me into an actress. You could say it happened by default, or that it was written in my destiny. I don’t know whether it was God’s blessing, or about setting a precedent, that if one girl can do it, others from the same background can also dare to dream.)

She explained becoming an actress requires certain qualities, which she felt she had lost, and since no specially challenged person had ever entered the film industry before, she never imagined it for herself. A trained dancer with a deep love for cinema, she said her journey into acting happened only after an autobiographical film on her life (Mayuri), where she transformed from a dancer to a survivor and, eventually, an actress.

Chandran believes it may have been destiny or a blessing, but also hopes her journey sets a precedent for others who were told the industry wasn’t meant for them. While she never aspired to be an actress, her lifelong exposure to films, from watching movies every Saturday with her family to reading film magazines, perhaps planted a seed that revealed itself when the right door finally opened for her.

Sudha Chandran on her autiobiography Mayuri

During the chat, Sudha opened up about starring in her autobiography film Mayuri (1985), which was shot in Telugu. The film was also dubbed in Hindi and released in 1986. When the host asked about the response to her film, recalling that phase, she said she was working in South Indian films at the time and that her Telugu film Mayuri had become a massive success. Large cutouts of hers were put up, and specially challenged fans would gather to see them, showering them with milk and flowers. It felt like true hero worship to her. When the film released in Hindi, she was still shooting in the South, but her father told her that shows in Mumbai were housefull and audiences were returning due to lack of tickets. Witnessing that euphoria from a distance felt like a moment of deep gratitude to the Almighty.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cr4TTLkIv98

Sudha Chandran on how people praise her work

She further shared that her sense of gratitude began from the days she was bedridden after the accident to the moment she saw herself on screen as an actress inspiring others. Chandran shared, "I was grateful to god from the day I was bedridden post accident to watching the film and becoming a real life actress, and people were getting inspiration in me. Even today, when I meet people they walk up to me and say that only because of my they have become entrepreneur and people told me that their parents who won't allow them to watch movies would take them to theatres only to watch my film and inspire them that If I can do it, so can they. Not only at that time, even today people tell me that they have read about me in texts book and it's a really nice feeling."Meanwhile, Sudha was last seen in Noyontara on Colors TV.