Suhasini Maniratnam

“I stopped seeing mainstream films 15 years ago. They are absolutely unbearable.”

“When there is growth economically and in industry, I think there should be growth in information also.”

“In 1983, when I did 'Sindhu Bhairavi' and played the other woman, many men came up to me and said it opened up a lot to them. The film showed that a man and woman could have an intellectual and artistic relationship.”

“College education teaches you humility.”

“Yes, my uncle wanted me to be a cinematographer and he was disappointed when I gave up that dream to become an actress.”

“When I am at home, I am there and when I'm shooting or doing any other thing, I concentrate on that.”

“Vittorio De Sica's 'Bicycle Thieves' changed my very idea of cinema.”

“I do things normal event managers cannot do, thanks to my years in the film industry.”

“I come from a family with many dancers, my aunts learnt dance, so did Kamal Haasan and, as a child I learnt it, too.”

“I would like to give one message: Live life light with a smile.”

“When I see poverty around, it churns my heart.”

“We south Indians are clannish and comfortable about our languages.”

“Raja Ravi Varma was one of the few Indians who not only understood women but also represented them exquisitely in a single dimension within four frames, infusing each painting with life through the use of color.”

“All art cinema is not great; some of the films can put you to sleep.”

“Men directors somehow think it's great to show heroes all unkempt and ungroomed. You'd be able to smell the hero's aftershave lotion if a woman directed him.”

“I only like non-fiction. After 30 pages of fiction, I think: what nonsense are they trying to write.”

“My husband won't remake films and won't allow anyone to remake his films. It's like making your child study like your neighbour's child.”

“I was born in a part of Tamil Nadu notorious for eliminating the girl child. I was the third daughter born to my parents and I have my mother to thank for deciding that I was not an unwanted child.”

“The Indian film industry has a condescending attitude towards its fans without actually intending to. They want to explain everything, leaving very little to the filmgoers' imagination.”

“I hate myself seconds after I've gotten angry but it's too late by then. I start defending my actions after that. It's shameful.”