Sadhna Venkatesh’s performance in Peranbu, a Tamil film about a single father and his relationship with his daughter with special needs, is winning hearts.
At the recently concluded Shanghai Film Festival, Peranbu received a standing ovation, and has been lauded by audiences and critics alike, with a special mention for Venkatesh, who plays the daughter Paapa in the film. The UAE resident admits she was overwhelmed as members of the audience approached her following the screening, several of whom were surprised to meet a confident teenager.
Not only did this role open her eyes to the lives of individuals with disabilities, says the actress, but it was also the catalyst that earned her The Diana Award earlier this month, handed out to young people carrying forth the late Princess Diana’s legacy of enriching communities.
This is Venkatesh’s second honour, having bagged the Indian National Award for Best Child Artist for her debut film Thanga Meengal in 2013.
The actress described Peranbu as a rigorous learning experiment; prior to shooting she visited an institute for special children in Chennai during the summer holidays to learn their mannerisms and behaviour.
Speaking in Chennai at the audio launch of Peranbu this week, Venkatesh said that after the initial euphoria of meeting superstar Mammootty, who plays Paapa’s father, she focused on the “enormous challenge” of playing Pappa in the Ram-directed film.
Keeping her hands stiff in one position resulted in severe pain, she explained, adding that her lips got locked once after she kept her mouth in the same position for an extended period.
Yet, Paapa’s tale egged the Grade 11 humanities student of Gems Our Own Indian School, Dubai, to reach out to special children at her school. After school hours, the recipient of the Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award of 2016 mentors young achievers.
While acting has been an enjoyable process and learning about different aspects of filmmaking interesting, the trained dancer looks forward to the day when she will take over her mother’s dance academy, Sri Paadham Academy of Dance, Dubai.
