Kamal Ghorui
Meghana Raj Sarja was in Dubai when the first message to be part of Jailer 2 flashed on her phone. “It was from someone called Bhargavi and I dismissed it as a prank. I got a follow-up text in the evening asking if we could get on a call to explain the project and I said ‘Yes.’ It felt overwhelming at that moment and really didn’t matter if it was a prank or not. For Meghana, an actor’s journey is rarely linear. The early years are about proving yourself, she says, but after marriage and motherhood, the conversation often shifts to limited roles and questions of shelf life. “And here, I had just been offered a role in a Rajinikanth film! In the background, I asked my parents to check with Shivanna if there was somebody called Bhargavi on the film’s set and when he confirmed it, I felt on top of the world,” she smiles. ‘It’s not about the money, it’s about the moments spent with Rajini sir’“Once the project was confirmed, I asked Bhargavi if I would have any scenes with Rajini sir. She said, ‘Neenga ella scenes-layum Rajini sir kooda irupeenga madam.’ (You’ll be with Rajini sir in all your scenes). I honestly didn’t even care about the payment; you’re already fangirling before you even go on the sets. The role is one which leads to a powerful climax and contributes to a lot of twists and turns. Honestly, there are all the films I’ve done until now, and then there’s this film which stands apart… it’s the fan girl who did a film with her idol,” she tells us.‘When I came face-to-face with Rajini sir, I was in tears’On the first day, I went to Rajini sir’s caravan to meet and seek his blessings. But upon meeting him, I broke into tears. I was so overwhelmed and it took me some time to compose myself. Since my parents had worked with him in Tharpangal, I introduced myself as Sundar Raj’s daughter. And sir said, “Sundar ponna nee? (Ah, you’re Sundar’s daughter) and then onwards, it was such a beautiful interaction every time we were on the set. He’s so agile and fit that I had a hard time catching up with him whenever we would walk to the spot. Raayan accompanied me to the shoot and when sir said, “Raayan is a smart boy,” it felt like I had won a trophy. I also narrated a personal story to sir about Chiru and I. It was the day after we got married and I joked to Chiru that he should replace the Rajinikanth poster on the bedroom door with my picture. Chiru got really angry and said “Go home and think about what you just said and come back when you can apologise.” Rajini sir was in splits when I said this and it felt like such a full-circle moment at that point,” states Meghana.‘As an actor, a public figure and mother, there’s a version of me that’s changed’With noticeable clarity, Meghana shares that besides losing Chiru and the change that it brought within her, there’s been an internal metamorphosis: it’s gone from trusting easily to trusting her instinct. “There was a phase where people made me feel like I’d be gullible. And I was someone who always believed I’d have an easy life. But life and circumstances have taught me to never take things at face value. The ones who claimed they would always be there for me aren’t around today. So. I’ve learnt to read better today. Slowly but surely, my priorities, reactions and way of thinking has changed,” she says.‘I’ve reached a stage in my life where I’m at liberty to only do films that I want to’“When I first came into the industry, being a nepotism kid, I had fixed ideas. I thought I would establish myself in the initial years doing all the top projects, as that was the definition of success for me. But now, it has a newer meaning: it is being able to switch off and just be with family. I don’t have to take up films consumed by worry that my bank balance will go down. Money is important, but it doesn’t drive my choices,” attests Meghana.‘I choose reality over perfection’Social media, she admits, has had its moments of influence — especially after becoming a mother. “You see the most picture-perfect moments that mothers post online and suddenly you’re thinking, ‘Am I doing something wrong?’ It’s the same with home tours; everyone puts up Pinterest kind of videos of their homes and I wondered if I was the only one that’s messy. It bothered me at one point. But now, I choose honesty over appearance. So what if a home is messy, that’s life, isn’t it? Social media is great; I can directly interact with people. Yes, there are ones that judge, including passing comments on the name of your child. But I choose to be grateful for the ones who support over the ones who criticise,” she says. So, what’s life looking like today? “I know I can do more than people think,” she quips. There’s no urgency in how she says it. Just a quiet certainty; one that seems to define where she stands now, both as an actress and as a person.
