From a quiet island to the hustle and bustle of tinsel town
Sindhu.Viijayakumar@timesgroup.com
Sindhu.Viijayakumar@timesgroup.com
TOI 07.02.2019
Actress Sonia Vikram has reasons to smile. The television serial, Azhagi, which was aired on a popular TV channel for about five years, is now being aired online. All thanks to the popularity of her character, Divya. Sonia talks to us about her foray into television and her Kollywood debut...
She’d never ever dreamt of being an actor. For, in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, where she hails from, entertainment meant watching Hindi serials, she recalls.
However, it was a chance meeting with a film crew that piqued her interest and led her to pursue a career as an actor. “Life on the island is totally different from that here (Chennai). It’s a very small place, with very few people, and everyone knows one another. My dad is a businessman and I have two elder brothers. But dad’s word is the law in our family. Unfortunately, one of my brothers went missing and that kind of messed up things in the family. Everything went topsy-turvy and, that was the time that I was spotted by a film crew that was on a location hunt on the island.”
Sonia says that she was on her way to the school, and was waiting for the bus at a stop close to her house when a film crew passed by in a car.
“Spotting me, they reversed the car and asked me whether I would be interested in acting in a film. And that is how it all began,” says Sonia.
SONIA VIKRAM
‘My dream is now coming true’
“I was scared and told them to contact my parents. With the help of a known person, they reached home and tried convincing my dad. My dad was furious and said no immediately. For people on the island, the entertainment industry is not something that they want their children to be in. But the film’s crew didn’t lose hope. They kept visiting us along with their family members. Meanwhile, my dad fell ill and just as family members do, the crew called on my father. Though that gave my family some confidence in them, they still didn’t allow me to go to Chennai.”
After a year, with the support of her mother, Sonia decided to come to Chennai, after all. “By this time, we had come to know that my brother was in Chennai, and I assured my mother that I will find him and bring him back. I think she agreed to send me only because of that.”
However, Chennai was totally different from what she had imagined, she says. “When I came here, I realised life can be harsh. I had a very secure and protected upbringing on the island. My relative, who I thought would give me shelter, refused to accommodate me, and I found myself on the streets.”
With no support and money, she was stranded. But she says that she didn’t want to let her parents know about her plight, or return to the island. “I found a hostel and started staying there and got in touch with the film’s crew. Through their reference, I got in touch with the TV industry. Soon, I started getting offers for doing television serials. My first serial was Vellai Thamarai, in which I played the female lead. In the soap, they kept my name for my character, too,” she recalls.
However, it was Azhagi and Munthanai Mudichu that propelled Sonia to stardom. “I played Divya in Azhagi and my character’s name was Meena in Munthanai Mudichu. Both the characters became very popular that people almost forgot my original name,” she chuckles.
Sonia got married to Vikram, a businessman, in 2015. “Not many could attend the wedding, since it was at that time the flood ravaged Chennai,” she says.
Sonia says she realised the power of her characters and the reach of television, while on a visit to a temple in Maharashtra. “One woman saw me praying at Shirdi and recognised me. And by the time we reached Shani Shingnapur, she had assembled a contingent and all of them wanted to click photos with me. More than me, it were my in-laws who were proud of my popularity,” she says. Recalling another incident when an old man came and hit her, she says, “I was picking up some knick-knacks at a shop. All of a sudden, an old man came running and punched me on the head. I didn’t know what was happening. My husband came to my rescue and when questioned, the man said that he was upset that in the previous episode I had said I am committing suicide. ‘Thappu illa adhellam? Eppudi Divya nee appadi sollalam?’ was his argument.”
After doing several powerful roles in nearly a dozen television serials for various channels, Sonia says she decided to take a break. “I was shooting three to four schedules per day, and it took a toll on my health.”
However, the actress in her doesn’t want to call it quits. “I left Andaman to act in films and now that dream is close to being realised. I will be playing a surrogate mother in Thaayme, a film directed by Samaran.”
It’s a strong role, she says, “In fact, the director asked me to choose the role. It’s a female-centric movie and there are two female lead characters. But I found the second lead more challenging and opted for that,” she says.
Sonia is happy that she has found a foothold in the entertainment industry and has made her parents and her entire island proud. “I am the first one from the island to enter the television industry. They have all subscribed to Tamil television channels, thanks to my serials, and they keep sending me their wishes and feedback.”
Before signing off, she says, “Though my dad doesn’t show it, I know that he is super proud of me. Also, I have reached out to my brother, and soon, I hope, we will all be one happy family again.”
SONIA VIKRAM
SPOTTING ME, THEY REVERSED THE CAR AND ASKED ME WHETHER I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN ACTING IN A FILM
THOUGH MY DAD DOESN’T SHOW IT, I KNOW THAT HE IS SUPER PROUD OF ME. ALSO, I HAVE REACHED OUT TO MY BROTHER, AND SOON, I HOPE, WE WILL ALL BE ONE HAPPY FAMILY AGAIN WHEN I CAME TO CHENNAI, I REALISED LIFE CAN BE HARSH. I HAD A VERY PROTECTED UPBRINGING ON THE ISLAND. HERE, MY RELATIVE, WHO I THOUGHT WOULD GIVE ME SHELTER, REFUSED TO ACCOMMODATE ME
Actress Sonia Vikram has reasons to smile. The television serial, Azhagi, which was aired on a popular TV channel for about five years, is now being aired online. All thanks to the popularity of her character, Divya. Sonia talks to us about her foray into television and her Kollywood debut...
She’d never ever dreamt of being an actor. For, in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, where she hails from, entertainment meant watching Hindi serials, she recalls.
However, it was a chance meeting with a film crew that piqued her interest and led her to pursue a career as an actor. “Life on the island is totally different from that here (Chennai). It’s a very small place, with very few people, and everyone knows one another. My dad is a businessman and I have two elder brothers. But dad’s word is the law in our family. Unfortunately, one of my brothers went missing and that kind of messed up things in the family. Everything went topsy-turvy and, that was the time that I was spotted by a film crew that was on a location hunt on the island.”
Sonia says that she was on her way to the school, and was waiting for the bus at a stop close to her house when a film crew passed by in a car.
“Spotting me, they reversed the car and asked me whether I would be interested in acting in a film. And that is how it all began,” says Sonia.
SONIA VIKRAM
‘My dream is now coming true’
“I was scared and told them to contact my parents. With the help of a known person, they reached home and tried convincing my dad. My dad was furious and said no immediately. For people on the island, the entertainment industry is not something that they want their children to be in. But the film’s crew didn’t lose hope. They kept visiting us along with their family members. Meanwhile, my dad fell ill and just as family members do, the crew called on my father. Though that gave my family some confidence in them, they still didn’t allow me to go to Chennai.”
After a year, with the support of her mother, Sonia decided to come to Chennai, after all. “By this time, we had come to know that my brother was in Chennai, and I assured my mother that I will find him and bring him back. I think she agreed to send me only because of that.”
However, Chennai was totally different from what she had imagined, she says. “When I came here, I realised life can be harsh. I had a very secure and protected upbringing on the island. My relative, who I thought would give me shelter, refused to accommodate me, and I found myself on the streets.”
With no support and money, she was stranded. But she says that she didn’t want to let her parents know about her plight, or return to the island. “I found a hostel and started staying there and got in touch with the film’s crew. Through their reference, I got in touch with the TV industry. Soon, I started getting offers for doing television serials. My first serial was Vellai Thamarai, in which I played the female lead. In the soap, they kept my name for my character, too,” she recalls.
However, it was Azhagi and Munthanai Mudichu that propelled Sonia to stardom. “I played Divya in Azhagi and my character’s name was Meena in Munthanai Mudichu. Both the characters became very popular that people almost forgot my original name,” she chuckles.
Sonia got married to Vikram, a businessman, in 2015. “Not many could attend the wedding, since it was at that time the flood ravaged Chennai,” she says.
Sonia says she realised the power of her characters and the reach of television, while on a visit to a temple in Maharashtra. “One woman saw me praying at Shirdi and recognised me. And by the time we reached Shani Shingnapur, she had assembled a contingent and all of them wanted to click photos with me. More than me, it were my in-laws who were proud of my popularity,” she says. Recalling another incident when an old man came and hit her, she says, “I was picking up some knick-knacks at a shop. All of a sudden, an old man came running and punched me on the head. I didn’t know what was happening. My husband came to my rescue and when questioned, the man said that he was upset that in the previous episode I had said I am committing suicide. ‘Thappu illa adhellam? Eppudi Divya nee appadi sollalam?’ was his argument.”
After doing several powerful roles in nearly a dozen television serials for various channels, Sonia says she decided to take a break. “I was shooting three to four schedules per day, and it took a toll on my health.”
However, the actress in her doesn’t want to call it quits. “I left Andaman to act in films and now that dream is close to being realised. I will be playing a surrogate mother in Thaayme, a film directed by Samaran.”
It’s a strong role, she says, “In fact, the director asked me to choose the role. It’s a female-centric movie and there are two female lead characters. But I found the second lead more challenging and opted for that,” she says.
Sonia is happy that she has found a foothold in the entertainment industry and has made her parents and her entire island proud. “I am the first one from the island to enter the television industry. They have all subscribed to Tamil television channels, thanks to my serials, and they keep sending me their wishes and feedback.”
Before signing off, she says, “Though my dad doesn’t show it, I know that he is super proud of me. Also, I have reached out to my brother, and soon, I hope, we will all be one happy family again.”
SONIA VIKRAM
SPOTTING ME, THEY REVERSED THE CAR AND ASKED ME WHETHER I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN ACTING IN A FILM
THOUGH MY DAD DOESN’T SHOW IT, I KNOW THAT HE IS SUPER PROUD OF ME. ALSO, I HAVE REACHED OUT TO MY BROTHER, AND SOON, I HOPE, WE WILL ALL BE ONE HAPPY FAMILY AGAIN WHEN I CAME TO CHENNAI, I REALISED LIFE CAN BE HARSH. I HAD A VERY PROTECTED UPBRINGING ON THE ISLAND. HERE, MY RELATIVE, WHO I THOUGHT WOULD GIVE ME SHELTER, REFUSED TO ACCOMMODATE ME
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