“I almost gave up,” says Pooja Devariya, a stage actor making her debut in a lead role with Iraivi.
Iraivi not only put the six years of struggle behind her but also opened more doors of opportunity.
Devariya has just returned from the New York Film Festival, where her second film Kuttrame Thandanai was screened. Since no one from the team could make it, she went there as the sole representative of this film, directed by Manikandan of Kaaka Muttai fame.
“When I walked up to the stage for the question session, people were unsure if I was the same person who played Anupriya, the middle-class woman in the story.”
Devariya says her character Malar in Iraivi is completely different.
“Malar is bold and an independent woman. She is a practical thinker,” says Devariya. “Though my screen space is limited, Malar is a significant role.”
Currently, Devariya has her hands full with three more films — Andhra Mess, Vallavanukku Vallavan and Andavan Kattalai.
