If you go back two decades back, Tamil audience were quite intrigued by the name Simran and wanted to know the meaning behind it. In fact, it was one of the recurring questions in the earliest interviews that the actor gave at the beginning of her career. But that’s not the case now. Many may still not know the meaning of her name, but Simran has etched an unerasable memory of hers for every Tamil cinema lover, with her sprawling filmography that cannot be capsuled under a single description.

Simran's career is sprawling. Be it Panchathanthiram, Vaalee, or Priyamaanavale, stream the best of Simran's classics on OTTplay Premium. 

You have seen her as a caring mother of three with a special interest in Tamil poetry in Kannathil Muttamittal, a wife who is grappling with the lust of husband’s twin brother in Vaalee , or more recently, as a negative shaded wife in Andhagan . Simran is an actor who has done it all, as she continues to explore a yet another character in the upcoming film Tourist Family, after being seen in a cameo appearance in Good Bad Ugly, reuniting with her Aval Varuvala co-star Ajith.

As Simran converses with OTTplay ahead of Tourist Family release, we ask what’s the one thing that has changed and not changed ever since the beginning of her career when people where more eager to know the meaning of her name, to now having a legacy after her name. “Simran means meditation, which will always stay with me, believing in myself is my strength. It will never change. What changed is nothing I know. Maybe because of I love myself the way I am. There is nothing I want to change anything about me,” the actor says.

Actor Simran Interview: It is tough to make a family drama nowadays where violence bloodshed and vulgarity has taken over

With Tourist Family, Simran has worked with debutant filmmaker Abishan Jeevinth. The actor has always been someone who had constantly reiterated about working with new faces. Speaking about her character in the film in which she plays a Sri Lankan Tamil and mother of two, Simran says, “I always believe the story is the master of any movie and debut directors are genuinely dedicated to the work without manipulation and compromise, also with zero ego. I enjoy working with young talent and will continue to.”

Simran says Tourist Family is a fantastic movie with all elements of fun, laughter, comedy, and drama for family to watch together. She also has some good words to say about Abishan, and calls him extremely talented who handled the whole movie so well. “In fact, the whole team is amazing. Tourist Family is out and out entertaining cinema,” she calls the film.

Tourist Family is coming like a breath of fresh air when there has been a criticism kept about how violence onscreen has been increasing. While action films give adrenaline rush, light hearted films are also much needed. On how she sees this trend, Simran says audience watch what entertainment media provide them. “It is tough to make a family drama nowadays where violence bloodshed and vulgarity has taken over and are easily saleable. That’s surprising. So many makers and creators has started to make such cinema which is not at all for me. There is a huge responsibility not only on actors but also on film makers because it influences peoples mind and their thought process, it’s like hypnotising them.” Speaking about Tourist Family, Simran calls it as a brave effort by the makers and that it is a “fresh breeze in hot sun” and a film “where family can sit together and watch and enjoy and laugh together,” calling that the beauty of Tourist Family.

‘Yes, I made mistakes and every lesson learnt from it was a part of my career growth’

Simran has been someone who has made special appearances in the film which has gone to be one of the talking points of the film. Be it Aal Thotta Boopathy in Youth where she shook a leg with Vijay, a song in Pithamagan where she appeared as herself to dance alongside Suriya, in Aranmanai 4 with Kushboo, or Thottu Thottu Pesum Sultana in Edhirum Pudhirum which also found a special place in Good Bad Ugly that also saw Simran making a guest appearance. Unlike the usual dance numbers, these appearances never catered to the male gaze. Ased about the level of confidence, maturity and decision making to those roles, Simran says, “Trust in self does not comes just like that. It takes listening power, hearing out your directors, major coordination with the team, whether if it is a small role but it’s filled with outstanding applauses while audience is watching it. You need an eye for that, it’s a team work not just an actor.”

The actor admits to have made mistakes in her career, and mentions it is also healthy to make them as long as one does not repeat it. “Learning from mistake is authentic organic growth of a human. Yes, I made mistakes and every lesson learnt from it was a part of my career growth.”

Rewinding a few years ago, characters in films like Aval Varuvala, Kannatil Muttamittal, Kovilpatti Veeralakshmi, and Vaaranam Aayiram had Simran play roles that were beyond the age and life experience she had then. What made her take up and what were the methods of acting that went into it? The actor answers, “All the films mentioned are of different from each other. Aval Varuvala is romantic, while Kannathil Muttamittal is a family drama. Kovilpatti Veeralakshmi was completely action and Vaaranam Aayiram has a parent sentiment. The challenging roles in all of them intrigued me to take up these films, the curiosity to know how far can these can push my potential.”

‘When I listen to scripts, it depends how it caters to my intellect’

After having done so many roles, worked with a variety of filmmakers and witnessed the changing trends, asked if her method to approach acting and characters changed, Simran says it depends on each role that she takes up. Explaining it in detail, Simran says, “When I listen to scripts, it depends how it caters to my intellect. It has to impress me first because I am the audience. I imagine the characters performing in front of me while the director narrates. Now there are two ways; one, director leaves it to the actor to the deliver the performance, two, he acts and shows this is how he wants. In both the ways, if he is clear in his mind while narrating and explaining, the method is not tough and we know what to deliver. My approach is same from the beginning till now. It’s been 30 years and I am a director’s actor. And I love this process of listening to scripts.”

‘Social media has caged our freedom’

Despite Tamil not being her first language, Simran has tried her hand in comedy in films like Panchathanthiram, and Pammal K Sambandham, which has worked to the actor’s credit. With Tourist Family also being a comedy, Simran says it is genre that she loves, being her favourite. Acknowledging that slapstick comedy is even more difficult to do, she adds, “It gives me freedom to be dumb, but it is not easy either. Both Pammal and Panchathanthiram were both out and out comedy and now another one is Tourist Family after long time.”

Off late, Simran’s works like Gulmohar, Andhagan and Mahaan has explored the stories of women in middle age. Has Tamil cinema finally embraced and acknowledged to tell stories of women beyond being the desirable age, Simran says trends have been changing and there is a vast scope and different cinema now. “This also because technology has taken over and generations are living ahead. Audience is accepting bold and beautiful roles.”

As the conversation also veers towards social media and how it has taken over to being all about FDFS, box office collections and Instagram-reel worthy content, Simran says, “Social media has caged our freedom, it’s sad that young kids don’t realise it. For them, everything is a reel material. That’s heart aching. I feel the phone time and technology should be limited. Books and nature must take over instead.”

Wrapping up this conversation, if Simran has one advice to give out to girls and women who want to start out acting now, she suggests them to watch movies, get inspired, listen to songs, be creative, start to read and write the kind of roles one wants to play. She is also quick to add, “And don’t forget to let go and be happy.” And as a bonus, we ask what’s one role Simran has to explore in acting, and she says, “A full-fledged superhero action movie!”