“When I worked with Kamal Haasan, I just was in awe of his craft. At that point in time where everybody was caking up with make-up, he was the first director of mine who said ‘go wash your face and come’. I went back to the make-up room and I tried to be over smart – I just wiped out a little bit and went back and said ‘see, I have removed it’. He was like wash your face and come. I remember I asked him five times if I really had to wash my face? And he said, ‘Yes with soap’. Then when he realised I used to wear these platform slippers to look tall he said, ‘Why are you wearing these slippers? You have to be tall with your achievements and performance.’ That’s when I realised that these expectations from an actor or an actress to look gorgeous, be tall and have a great figure are all the bonuses that come with your job because you have to look good for the audience. First you have to know how to act, first you have to know your craft.”
