Standing tall

Nonika Singh

Like a true Tamilian and like her father’s daughter, Aishwaryaa Rajniknath Dhanush begins with speaking in Tamil and endorsing the tradition of Jallikattu. Thereafter emerges a woman of few words, calm and collected, who grew up as just another girl. What it means to be superstar Rajnikanth’s daughter is now documented in her first book Standing on an Apple Box.

Part memoirs, part reflections among other things she shares in the book is how she wasn’t treated any more special than any regular girl. Today as a mother of two sons, she would not want her son to grow up any differently and has already taught them the art of dodging photographers.

“At this point they would not be able to handle media glare. I feel they should be exposed to limelight when they are ready for it.” Of course, bringing up children in times when they believe, “Google knows better than mum” is a huge challenge and they can’t really be sheltered from the outside influences. She herself had a pretty guarded life and has no hesitation in admitting that her parents are rather conservative. Yet, she saw no reason to rebel, not when her eighteenth birthday didn’t go exactly as she had planned. Nor, when she was not allowed courtship period or thinking time before she tied the knot with Dhanush even though it was a love match. She talks of her hugely talented actor husband with equal fondness with whom she worked in her first film 3. Yes, she would love to make another movie with him but lest people think she makes movies only with her family members, she would like to prove herself a little more before she can ask him for dates again. Perhaps the film industry is not so kind to women directors, perhaps gender equality in filmdom is still a mirage. But she can sense a slow and steady change as more and more women are turning editors, directors and being recognized for who they are. As the mantle of United Nations Women’s Goodwill Ambassador of India has come her way, she feels a huge responsibility and would only be too happy to lend her voice to women’s issues. And even if she could make a difference to a few women, she would consider her job done. The maker in her would certainly like to make films about serious issues that concern women. However, such films she insists must be made seriously and not taken lightly. But then this pretty gal would not make light of anything and now admits to being seriously bitten by the writer’s bug too. Indeed, the first book does owe much to her celebrity status, writing which she admits was like penning a diary. But as a book on short stories is in the anvil clearly she didn’t pick up the pen just for a lark. Writer, director, a loving wife and conscientious mother, clearly Aishwaryaa is much more than her father’s daughter. And by the way she loves the actor in her father more than the super-heroic phenomenon that he is.

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