This is the story of an actress who made it big on big screen despite the odds that came her way. Her story and struggles in life are no less than a blockbuster film with many twists! She is the happening actress in Tamil Cinema- Aishwarya Rajesh. Her inspiring TedX talk at IIM Trichy is winning hearts on social media. The award-winning actress talked in length about how she climbed up the success ladder from a lower-middle-class family.
Born and brought up in the housing board colony, Aishwarya Rajesh's dad Rajesh passed away when she was a 8 years kid, and her mom whom she calls as a fighter did all kinds of jobs including selling Sarees and also became a LIC agent to feed the family. Things did take a turn Just when Aishwarya's mom was hopeful that her two sons would earn and safeguard the family, both of them passed away in a matter of just two years.
Aishwarya's mom almost gave up; this is when the actress became a saleswoman for a supermarket in Chennai. Aishwarya also hosted events that only gave her a meagre income. Later, she debuted in the small screen and participated in Maanada Mayilada before venturing into the cinema.
"Sexual harassment exists in all professions but in cinema, it gets highlighted. Besides the harassment, I felt a lot of rejections in my life for my dark complexion, the way I dress up and Tamil language", said Aishwarya.
"But I knew how to handle such harassment. Once a popular director told me that I'm not a heroine material at all. A director offered me to play as a pair to comedian but I rejected saying that I want a lead role or strong character. I had to be in the industry without any offers for three years. Those who watchedPa Ranjith's debut film 'Attakathi' loved my performance. Though it's a small role, it got me a lot of offers like 'Rummy 'and 'Pannaiyarum Padminiyum', she added.
Aishwarya said that 'Kaaka Muttai' changed her career but again despite winning accolades and declared a hit, she only got a few lucrative offers like Vijay Sethupathi's 'Dharma Durai' and Dhanush's 'Vada Chennai'.
The actress cites that 'Kanaa' as a game-changing film in her career. "I convinced the team that I would practice cricket and got the role. The film made me a hero and now, Iam getting a lot of female-centric films where I play lead roles", ended Aishwarya.
Born and brought up in the housing board colony, Aishwarya Rajesh's dad Rajesh passed away when she was a 8 years kid, and her mom whom she calls as a fighter did all kinds of jobs including selling Sarees and also became a LIC agent to feed the family. Things did take a turn Just when Aishwarya's mom was hopeful that her two sons would earn and safeguard the family, both of them passed away in a matter of just two years.
Aishwarya's mom almost gave up; this is when the actress became a saleswoman for a supermarket in Chennai. Aishwarya also hosted events that only gave her a meagre income. Later, she debuted in the small screen and participated in Maanada Mayilada before venturing into the cinema.
"Sexual harassment exists in all professions but in cinema, it gets highlighted. Besides the harassment, I felt a lot of rejections in my life for my dark complexion, the way I dress up and Tamil language", said Aishwarya.
"But I knew how to handle such harassment. Once a popular director told me that I'm not a heroine material at all. A director offered me to play as a pair to comedian but I rejected saying that I want a lead role or strong character. I had to be in the industry without any offers for three years. Those who watchedPa Ranjith's debut film 'Attakathi' loved my performance. Though it's a small role, it got me a lot of offers like 'Rummy 'and 'Pannaiyarum Padminiyum', she added.
Aishwarya said that 'Kaaka Muttai' changed her career but again despite winning accolades and declared a hit, she only got a few lucrative offers like Vijay Sethupathi's 'Dharma Durai' and Dhanush's 'Vada Chennai'.
The actress cites that 'Kanaa' as a game-changing film in her career. "I convinced the team that I would practice cricket and got the role. The film made me a hero and now, Iam getting a lot of female-centric films where I play lead roles", ended Aishwarya.