A second wave in stardom

She's the Madhuri Dixit of Kodambakkam. Legend has it that someone once built a temple for her. She's been around for 15 years. And now, she's married to director Sundar C., has a six- month-old toddler, Avantika, even as she gears up to play her second innings in Tamil cinema. And `Surprise, surprise', is floating a production company.

``I have come a full circle. This is my second round. I am in almost the same situation I was in, when I made my debut here in 1989. Now, 2001 will see me coming back,'' Khushboo Sundar tells Sudhish Kamath, all charged up, in spite of a hectic day's work and a torn ligament.

``SINCE I am very choosy about the films, it's almost like starting from the scratch. Especially out here, if a heroine gets married, she gets slotted to Anni, Amma and Akka characters. No cameo roles either,'' she says.

Remind her about a few such roles she did recently, and she replies, ``I had committed to them long ago.'' And what kind of role would she accept then? ``Not anything in particular. But I would think twice before accepting any role...the length of the character, the impression it may leave is important,'' Khushboo goes on record.

Playing Mom to a six-month-old and working as a heroine, Khushboo is the new-generation career woman. ``I know my priorities. I work only 9 to 6 in cities. And even outdoors, I don't do films in locations that are very remote. When I do shoot in places like Gobichettipalayam or Theni, there are enough facilities to go back and see her (her baby Avantika),'' she explains.

And you notice that she rattles off the names of villages in the State with ease, ``Yes, I am very fluent being here for 15 years. I speak to my in-laws in Tamil. I speak with my husband in Tamil. When I am at my Mom's place, I speak in Urdu,'' she says, maintaining that she is ``most comfortable in English''.

Continue chatting about her career move, and she once again says, ``No, I am not cut out for the Annis and the Akkas any more. Once I feel enough of it, I will give it up,'' Khushboo reveals, adding that she wouldn't be hanging around doing the so- called `character roles'.

Any plans apart from acting, and she breaks the big news. Ladies and Gentlemen, Khushboo apart from floating a TV production company called Home Entertainment, for producing telefilms and a mega soap opera will also get into producing movies. The banner would be called `Aks'.

We get more curious about the mega serial, and are tempted to ask, ``Is it going to be in the `Chithi' league?'' ``No,'' is her instant reflex. ``This is not the typical soap opera. All the characters in this one are positive.''

Something like `The Bold and the Beautiful' or `Santa Barbara' then? ``No, all that is boring,'' says Khushboo. The serial to be directed by Manobala will get rolling by the end of the year, she tells us. ``It will take another year to get aired''.

Actress, Wife, Mother and now Producer? `` Producer, I have a partner for the company, because I am absolutely new. Yes, I have a want to make a mark for myself. Because today, we are not in an era where people remember the artistes unlike in the past when there was just a Savithri or Saroja Devi. There are so many actresses around today. To make a mark we have to be different,'' she says.

``You can call me business-minded career woman,'' she says, recollecting how she got into acting, first Hindi and then Tamil, after landing up with Cathay Pacific to don the role of an air- hostess.

Air-hostess or no air-hostess, the star named Khushboo who landed on Planet Kollywood had quite a dream flight, when she ruled the industry, in the early Nineties.

After having a go at every good role that came her way in the last few years, endless controversies, Khushboo finally decided it was time to settle, when she got married to director Sundar last year.

Marriage, a kid and now Khushboo is raring to have another go at stardom.

Khushboo was recently shooting in Bangalore for a Kannada film `Aunty Preetze' when she had an accident and the ligament tear injury.

But nothing, nothing ever cripples Khushboo being at her bubbliest best. Now, that's the spirit, right?

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Entertainment
Previous : Flashes of brilliance ... occasionally