I pray I am active till my last breath

You could never call her a neglected or forgotten actress

Many veteran filmmakers and actors -- Raj Kapoor, Sivaji Ganesan, Kamal Haasan, and more -- called upon Padmini, who made New Jersey her home for nearly three decades until her recent return to Chennai, whenever they were in New York. And often, particularly during the 1980s and 1990s, she would be asked by some of the best-known directors including Hrishikesh Mukherjee (who directed her opposite Raj Kapoor in Aashiq) if she could do a significant character role in their films.

 "I don't feel a compelling urge to go back and resume my career," the actress had told me 25 years ago, weighing her career options following the death of her husband, physician KT Ramachandran. "I have done practically everything an actress wants to do, I have played all kinds of roles. I have even played a man!" She was referring to her role as a street performer in Mera Naam Joker, befriended by a down and out loser (Raj Kapoor) who realises, in a scene that shocked many, that his new friend is indeed a woman. "And I have also worked with some of the best actors and actresses, and for some of India's best-known directors," she continued. "I think I am doing something very interesting here," she said, looking at over a dozen children practicing their Bharata Natyam steps. "I just cannot leave them and go back to India." "When they are done, I am sure there are going to be more students,"

The tillana glitter is intact

IT IS a spacious flat. Nothing distracts attention from the elegantly framed photographs placed in a row across the vanilla walls. In their deep grey and brown tones, they immediately conjure up an era. Here are the Travancore sisters — Lalitha, Padmini and Ragini — in the flush of their youth and beauty. The sisters with President Radhakrishnan, with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, with Lady Mountbatten ... the photos have a magnetic power. As did the sisters who danced their way into the hearts of film-goers with their beauty and histrionic talent. The magic of the legend continues. Actress Padmini, now in her early seventies, has only to pay a visit to Chennai from the U.S. where she resides, and she is a star attraction.

A picture of grace and dignity, Padmini exudes a rare serenity too. Her heart-shaped face still retains its contours and despite the march of time the doe-like eyes which mesmerised audiences retain their glow. As you talk to her, she transforms easily for you into the lovely princess wooed and won, the Mohanambal without a parallel for her tillana, the bewitching woman who has her lover enthralled, the devoted wife, the paragon of virtue and sacrifice... During the interview, the veteran is focussed and never goes off at a tangent. She does not stress her achievements but the pride and joy in her work come through.