Simran yet again proved her acting prowess in the latest Amazon Prime Original film Gulmohar. It might come as a surprise for people in the North to see her commendable performance in the Hindi film, but Tamil audiences always knew what she is capable of even back in the late 90s and early 2000s. However, Simran didn’t break out as a performer in her first Tamil film. In a two-decade-old interview shot on the sets of Nuvvu Vastavani (2000), the remake of Vijay’s Thullatha Manamum Thullum, Simran reveals that back then a female actor had to do glamourous roles at the start of her career before she can become a performer. The interview was shot at the peak of Simran’s career, who had by then acted in films like Vaali, Thullatha Manamum Thullum, and Kannedhirey Thondrinal, which proved that she was more than yet another glamorous heroine. In an industry, where only a few female actors from up North has managed to earn fame for their performance like Kushbhu Sundar and Jyotika, Simran quickly cemented her place. However, it has not come without a lot of struggles for the actor. In the old interview, Simran said, “I want to be part of the industry for a long time and I can do it with only performance-oriented roles.” When asked won’t fans be disappointed if she continues to do non-glamourous roles, she said, “Fans, you, are the ones who have promoted me to this place as a performer. Glamorous roles are the path to becoming a performer. Glamorous roles will only help you for the first one or two years, then you have to prove yourself as a performer. It doesn’t mean I will stop doing glamorous roles, but I will not be doing vulgar films.” When asked if she is going to give more preference for performance-oriented films from then on, she said, “When I came into the industry everyone called me ‘glamorous doll’, but I did Poochudava, where it was a good role but the film didn’t work. Also, audiences expect that (to be glamorous) and the film industry also forces you to wear (glamorous costumes). However, that’s only my initial stage. Gradually, I have groomed myself as a performer.” The interview is reflective of how many such things have changed now. Even the line of questioning would be frowned upon now. It is also reflective of how the route to success Simran spoke about in the two-decade-old interview seems to still be the case for many female actors.
