Sai Pallavi: The rightful heir to Anushka Shetty’s throne, as the one who has never been a presence sans a purpose in any film

Since her debut in a lead role nine years ago, Sai Pallavi, who turns 32 on Thursday, has appeared in only 14 movies. Nevertheless, each of these films has significantly propelled her career. (Image: Sai Pallavi/Instagram)

The image of a saree-clad Sai Pallavi walking up to a 'tough-looking' Nivin Pauly after he called her over to rag her, only to discover that she's a newly appointed guest lecturer at his college, is unlikely to disappear from the minds of those who have watched the Malayalam blockbuster Premam (2015). At that moment, she not only stepped into the spotlight of a cinema frame for the first time, having previously appeared only as a background artiste in Tamil films Kasthuri Maan (2005) and Dhaam Dhoom (2008), but also captured the affection of millions of movie lovers instantaneously, before eventually becoming a benchmark for many things.

Born on May 9, 1992, into a Badaga family settled in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, with no prior connections to the film industry, Pallavi is currently among the most sought-after and promising actors in South India, or one could even argue, in the entire country. Hailing from an ethno-linguistic community with roots in Kotagiri in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu, Pallavi's journey has been nothing short of spectacular.

Since her debut in a lead role nine years ago, Sai Pallavi, who turns 32 on Thursday, has appeared in only 14 movies and interestingly, she didn't have any releases last year. Nevertheless, what's truly fascinating is that each of these 14 films has, in one way or another, significantly propelled her career, enabling her to leave a lasting impact on viewers. She has never been just a presence without purpose. In other words, she either selects roles where her character contributes substantially to the narrative and isn't just a superficial addition, or filmmakers specifically approach her for meaty roles, or whenever there's a substantial role, she's their preferred choice. Whatever the reason may be, Sai Pallavi has deeply etched her name in the hearts of cinema lovers in a manner her contemporaries couldn't even dream of.

In fact, by embracing a diverse range of roles, refusing to be constrained by stereotypes or accepting superficial characters relegated solely to romantic subplots, Pallavi has carved out a name for herself, akin to Anushka Shetty in the past decade. With speculation mounting that Pallavi has been roped in to portray Goddess Sita in Nitesh Tiwari's adaptation of the Hindu epic Ramayana, film enthusiasts speculate that this role could offer her a transformative opportunity akin to how monumental projects like Arundhati (2009), the Baahubali films (2015, 2017) and Rudhramadevi (2015) propelled Anushka's career by multiple folds. Despite not being officially confirmed yet, Ramayana's inherent grandiosity and the hype surrounding it already suggest its potential to significantly enhance Pallavi's stature in the industry.

Sai Pallavi with her Premam co-star Nivin Pauly. (Image: Sai Pallavi/Instagram)

It's not just Pallavi's film choices that have endeared her to viewers, but also the spellbinding manner in which she handles her characters. By immersing herself in the psyche of her roles, extracting their most profound emotions and effortlessly showcasing them, Sai Pallavi's performances are truly inspiring.

In Premam, Pallavi's character Malar, a college lecturer entangled in a star-crossed relationship with her student George (Nivin), deviated from the typical romantic heroine tropes. Malar was depicted as a subdued character, and their love story unfolded discreetly, away from the public eye, unnoticed by others. Owing to the absence of traditional romantic moments, Malar and George conveyed their affection through subtle gestures and meaningful glances. At a time when romance film heroines were often constrained by rigid templates and beauty standards influenced by Western and/or savarna ideals, Pallavi skillfully portrayed a character in a mature relationship between two adults (special emphasis on the word "adults" here) in the Alphonse Puthren directorial. Amidst a cinematic landscape that prioritised Manic Pixie Dream Girls (MPDG) and damsels in distress in romance films, Sai Pallavi's portrayal of Malar as a realistic and mature character, as well as her appearance and beauty which resonated deeply with a large section of the society, was a notable departure from the norm, a feat she accomplished with remarkable proficiency.