Priyamani: We should stop using the term pan-India actor; we’re all Indian at the end of the day

PRiyamani, who has worked extensively in both regional and Hindi movie house, feels that actors should halt using the full term “pan-India worker”, expressing her top disapproval of the label. “I think we should stop using the term pan-India,” Priyamani asserted. “We’re all Indian at the end of the day. What is this pan-India? I don’t understand. You get work in other industries, and that’s a good thing — but you don’t call someone a ‘regional actor’ when they come from Bollywood to the South,” says the actor, adding, “For years, actors from both sides have worked across languages. Why are we suddenly labelling people now?” The 41-year-old further mentioned how stars like Kamal Haasan, Rajinikanth, Prakash Raj, Dhanush, and many others have been working across languages for decades without ever being tagged as ‘pan-India actors’ — they were simply known as Indian actors. “It doesn’t matter which language we work in — accept us for who we are and for the characters we play. This sudden trend of actors wanting to overly use the term is funny,” adds Priyamani. The actor will soon return with season 3 of The Family Man. When asked about the show’s craze and how audiences have become more reactive over the years, Priyamani said, “People have become oversensitive. It’s okay to have opinions, but don’t overanalyze or try to influence others. Watch a film for what it is. So many people put in hard work — just appreciate that.” She elaborated further, “When you watch a film, watch it for the film, for what it is. Obviously, the makers and the actors have put in a lot of effort. It might work out, it might not — that’s absolutely fine. What may work for you may not work for me as an audience. You might like something, I may not, and that’s okay. Opinions are absolutely fine.” “You can criticize a film — you’re more than welcome to,” she continues, “but don’t over-criticize or over-analyze it. Don’t make it about red flags, green flags, Gen Z this or that. It’s just a film! It doesn’t always have to be a reflection of today’s world. The filmmaker has a vision, and the characters might resonate with you or might not, and that’s okay too.” Reflecting on how times have changed, Priyamani observed that with the rise of technology and social media, it has become much easier for people to express their opinions, which comes with both pros and cons. “You’re more than welcome to your opinion,” she said, “but don’t try to influence other people’s opinions. Someone might actually like the film, even if you didn’t. At the end of the day, hundreds of people work hard to bring a project to life — to get it on OTT or in theatres. So just watch the film for what it is. You don’t have to be oversensitive about everything.” Priyamani, who plays the role of Suchi in The Family Man opposite Manoj Bajpayee (Srikant Tiwari), is married to Mustafa Raj in real life. Speaking about her bond with her husband, the actor shared, “With him, it’s easy. We always discuss work; every project that comes my way, we talk about it. Sometimes he tells me, ‘I think you should do it,’ but my gut says no. Then he says, ‘If you’re not convinced, that’s absolutely fine.’ And there are times when I tell him, ‘I don’t think I should do this,’ and he insists, ‘No, I think you should — it’s really good.’ And you know what, it has actually worked out for me when I’ve listened to him.” “Sometimes, yes, we’ve had disagreements, but more often than not, it’s unanimous — whether it’s a yes or a no, we come to the same conclusion. Eventually, we always reach a mutual agreement, which usually works in my favour at the end of the day,” she laughed, adding, “He’s honestly the sweetest man. He listens to all my rants and gives his inputs whenever I need to be heard. I’m very lucky that way,” she wraps up.