Priyamani: None of my Hindi films gave me such a boost

Priyamani

People often ask me, 'What happened between you two in Lonavala?' And I say, 'What happens in Lonavala, stays in Lonavala,'" laughs Priyamani, gleefully aware that the sub-plot between her character and that of Sharad Kelkar in The Family Man piqued the audience's curiosity. As the wife who is exasperated with the workaholic nature of her husband - essayed by Manoj Bajpayee - and finds solace in her colleague, Priyamani was spirited and spontaneous. Little surprise then that she has bagged a Best Supporting Actor nomination in the upcoming mid-day and Radio City Hitlist Web Awards.

The audience may have sat up and taken notice of her in the much loved web series, but the South sensation's résumé is dotted with several Hindi films, including Mani Ratnam's Raavan (2010).

Surprisingly, only few of the fraternity folk knew that I had played Abhishek's [Bachchan] sister in Raavan. None of the Hindi films that I've done have given me the kind of boost that The Family Man has," states the actor, who also shook a leg with Shah Rukh Khan in One two three four in Chennai Express (2013). "A lot of people noticed me [after the song], but this show has taken me to a whole new level. It has only been possible because OTT platforms have such a huge viewership. This show has opened doors for me in Mumbai."

Rewarding as the move has been, Priyamani reveals she had her share of inhibitions before jumping on the digital bandwagon with the Raj-DK spy thriller. "I loved the character of Suchi. But I asked Raj and DK upfront if there were any intimate scenes as I am hesitant to do them. They assured me that there were no such scenes."

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Cast your vote for the Hitlist Web Awards

Priyamani has been nominated in the Best Supporting Actor (Female) category for Amazon Prime's The Family Man. The other nominees are:

• Shivani Raghuvanshi (Made in Heaven; Amazon Prime)
• Rasika Dugal (Delhi Crime; Netflix)
• Amruta Subhash (Sacred Games S02; Netflix)
• Nidhi Singh (MOM; ALTBalaji)
• Navni Parihar (Little Things S03; Netflix)

The Family Man enjoys six nominations, including Best Series, Best Creator, Best Actor (Male), Best Supporting Actor (Male), Best Supporting Actor (Female) and Best Writing.

There are 14 categories that the public can vote in. Log on to www.hitlistwebawards.com to cast your vote.

You can also vote via SMS. Send HITLIST <space> category name <space> your choice (a/b/c/d as on the website) to 57575.

Voting lines extended by a day, to close on March 9.

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