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'He's the reason I am who I am. Why I love cinema and why I'm passionate about the craft.'
Kalyani Priyadarshan has become a name to reckon with in Malayalam cinema. Pretty and immensely gifted, she has proved herself to be much more than her prolific father Priyadarshan's daughter.
Speaking to Subhash K Jha on her father's birthday on January 30, Kalyani says, "He's the reason I am who I am. Why I love cinema and why I'm passionate about the craft.
"I've learnt everything about what it means to work hard from watching him. Even today, at 67, the way he works in the locations and conditions that he works at this age... he's my biggest inspiration."
Priyadarshan can barely contain his pride while talking about his daughter.
"Kalyani is the biggest joy of my life. She has made us so proud! Do you know she was studying to be an architect? I don't know where this acting keeda came into her. One day she just announced she was going to be an actor. And that was it."
What makes Priyan doubly proud is that Kalyani's success is self-created.
"She never took my help, never asked me to recommend her name to any of my colleagues. She got her first film Hello in Telugu, which was produced by Nagarjuna and starred his son, all on her own. In no time, she is a sought after actress in Malayalam."
Asked to name his favourite Kalyani films, Priyan laughs, "Do you expect me to dislike any of daughter's films? But yes, objectively speaking as a director, she was outstanding in Sesham Mike-il Fathima. She played a girl from a conservative Muslim family, who aspires to be a football commentator. Every actress aspires to have that one role and film to be remembered by. My daughter already has one."
About working with his daughter Priyan says, "We have worked together in Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea, a period film that starred Mohanlal. I hope to work with her again soon."
