Radha Ravi

I forayed into films in 1974, and I was done with college in 1975.

An actor does not have anything to do with the business of screening films.

I don't like it when filmmakers say, 'Just come like this, sir.' I like to experiment with my makeup. I wish more filmmakers let me do that.

When someone praises me for some speech uploaded on YouTube, I politely tell them I've been acting for many years.

Being on time is a practice I imbibed from my dad. He would be ready with make-up on at least three hours ahead of schedule.

There was a time in the 1980s when I worked in 22 films a year.

Like Ekalaiva, I learnt a lot watching my father from afar. Though I did imitate him initially, I soon changed tack. When people have already watched and enjoyed M. R. Radha on screen, why would they need another?

Vulgarity shouldn't pass off as humour.

My tryst with theatre began in 1968, after the last day of school in that academic year.

Malaysian Tamil movies are amateurish, with songs picked up from our old Tamil movies and inserted in between.

My father was released from jail, after more than three years of imprisonment, in 1971. Without wasting any time, he wanted to get engaged in theatre. He asked me to join and also enquired if any of my friends were interested.

1971-79 was when I shared the stage with my father. We did more than 500 plays together. He was a hard worker, and learning from him was more than a delight. The way he faced challenges and political pressure was a treat to watch.

Every voter has a right to criticise a government and comment on its functioning.

DMK is the only political party that enjoys the confidence of the people.

In our age of Twitter and smartphones, there is no controlled release of a movie preview. The enigma of movie stars is lost.

'Karnan' ran for 100 days each at three theatres in Chennai alone. That is a record, since no movie runs for more than 100 days. My hope is that I don't ruin the original if it is remade.

All said, even an Aishwarya Rai and Shah Rukh Khan could not reproduce the magic of the original 'Devdas.'

It's a pity I have been stereotyped as a villain.

I cannot expect actor Prakash Raj, who is versatile across languages, to express solidarity with a cause.

I've done 290 movies and have lost 200 movies for my outspokenness.

People say I use foul language. I learnt swear words only from my father and YGP.

None who has passed through the portals of UAA has been a failure. From the former Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, to Lakshmi, Cho, Nagesh, Moulee, Srikanth, ARS and I, all have been a part of UAA.

When a director narrates a character, I find it normal to ask questions about the character's background, mood swings, eccentricities, behaviour... I do this to make my performance relatable. Directors who don't know their characters well find it difficult to answer these questions and, hence, find me annoying.

It doesn't matter if I have experienced actors alongside or novices. It doesn't matter if the director is one film old or a hundred. All I'm interested in is doing justice to the role.

When I'm given a role, I'm consumed by a passion to bring to life a character that exists only on paper. I mull over the character for days and internalise his feelings.