‘Love the Kovai spirit’

says Priyamani as she dubs Coimbatore her favourite stopover destination

It doesn’t take Priyamani much time to be floored by the adulation showered on her by the folks within the city, with people turning up in large numbers for the Devan Ekambaram concert held within the city, braving the rains.Hailing from Palakkad, Paruthiveeran star Priyamani has gone through town on numerous occasions, and dubs Coimbatore the precise stopover destination of which, she says, loves the spirit. “I was born in Palakkad, that is very close by, and i've undergone Coimbatore on several occasions once I visit my hometown, and that i sometimes spend the night here before going home. The vibrance of the town is there for all to see, and it's great that such a lot of people turned up for Devan’s concert despite the heavy rains,” the actress says, impressed by the keenness of the crowds here.

She also says that it is vitally difficult to search out an excellent crowd for live shows, and admits that the town has an excellent understanding of music and cinema.

“People of this city do appreciate live music on this era of remixes and digital sounds, and i've heard that the box office success of a movie is usually judged by the way it has fared in Coimbatore. I USED TO BE quite humbled after I heard that a lot of the audience had just turned as much as see me,” the sleek actress says.

Having made her presence felt in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films in her career, Priyamani shares that she still holds Kollywood very just about her heart. “Tamil is my mother tongue, so it goes without saying that i'm most comfortable working in Tamil cinema. On the same time, I'VE enjoyed working in other regional languages too, as that may be important for versatility,” she points out.

Recalling the experience of winning the National and Tamil Nadu State Film Awards for Paruthiveeran brings a twinkle in her eye. “The first person I called when it was announced that I had won the National Award was Bharathiraja sir, who launched me in Tamil cinema with Kangalal Kaidhu Sei. He complimented me saying that this was the results of my steady growth as an actress,” she says, proudly.

“I was humbled when Balu Mahendra sir said that his daughter had made him proud by winning the National Award, which was very touching,” she says emotionally.

The actress was then seen grooving to quite a few popular numbers almost till the tip of the show, singing along to the Oh! Shanthi Shanthi number from the Surya starrer Vaaranam Aayiram. “I only hope the rains don’t strike the following time there's a show here, so more people will turn up,” she signs off.