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They were the thinking man's actresses... Stunning, talented, Quite assertive worked with some of the best names in the show business but faded to oblivion in the passage of time. Their portfolio shares a common film maker - Maniratnam. The actresses in the question are - Girija ('Geetanjali' fame) and Heera ('Thiruda Thiruda'). Girija swept away the states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamilnadu with her strong combination of sensuality and innocence. But post 'Geetanjali', she appeared in only two movies - Vandhanam (malayalam) and an offbeat movie called "Hridayanjali". Nobody knew what Girija is upto, until I stumbled upon the Balaji's thoughts blog. Girija Shettar is now into journalism and spiritualism with her career as journalist based in London. Heera was in news for her affairs with Sarathkumar and Ajit rather than her acting prowess that was tapped to certain extent by Maniratnam and Balu Mahendra. Post Ajit's marriage with Shalini, Heera hastely married and it came as no surprise when Dinamalar reported her divorce in a local family court with a four line news. These actresses have their own blogs which gives them a vent for their voices. Heera's blog tries to paint a sympathetic picture of hers while Girija's blogs doesn't even acknowledged her landmark film - Geetanjali. For those who liked these girls, these links will give an insight of what they are upto now - Heera (http://www.heerarajagopal.com) and Girija (http://undercutandflourish.blogspot.com)

I came across this intresting three part Girija's Memoirs in a website and Heera's website is in Flash, so I couldn't copy / paste her blogs in her own words. However I found Girija's memoirs very much intresting, may be because of her journalism profession, and so I am posting it for you people.


Part I

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GIRIJA SHETTAR (Geethanjali and Vandanam fame) was born and brought up in England the daughter of an Indian father and British mother. She is a multi-faceted personality who, after leaving school, starred in some successful Indian films. The first was the super-hit Geethanjali (Director Mani Ratnam; starring opposite Nargarjuna; 1989), followed by Vandanam (director Priyadarshan; starring opposite Mohanlal), which was also a hit. A keen admirer of non-commercial cinema, Girija next took the lead in the little known Hrudayanjali (director ARR Reddy), a film that explored the devastating effects of rape. Her most recent work was an UK independent film Slide Away (2007), exploring the themes of death and immortality.

She completed a doctoral thesis on the integral yoga philosophy of Sri Aurobindo a field she is involved in on a practical basis too, spending as much time as possible at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry and at the related idealistic community of Auroville. She is based in London and is a writer and a poet.

Girija is sharing some of her experiences and memoirs from her days of stardom. This is the final in the series.

An adventure begins

I feel privileged to have been asked to write a memoir of my film acting days in India but also slightly nervous because ones perceptions and interpretations of the past change all the time.

There were really two stages to my Indian adventures. The first was making films with the best in the industry; the second was discovering India’s cultural and spiritual heritage - which I believe can change the world.

Two questions I am frequently asked are: why did you leave films and do you regret it?

Apparently, regional magazines and online forums have printed their own reasons ranging from my being a drug addict to having no further offers of work. These are far from the truth.

I stopped because something else claimed my attention, which impressed me more than even the seductive and regal power of filmmaking genius. The deal was sealed by an inner inspiration that I never disobeyed.

Regrets? Not for years, but then trying times came along and they emerged. However, I was true to myself then and admirably daring. What I regret more is regret itself. It shows a lack of gratitude and of courage (not to mention wisdom).

So, coming to my memories of films, The strongest memory is how beautiful the reality of making films is, in contrast to how the industry is presented to the public through papers, magazines and the internet.

Most entertainment reporting focuses ad nauseam on red carpet glamour, but the distracted hype hides one of the greatest things about filmmaking - the dedication to a shared goal.

I was lucky to work with great professionals and I loved their focus, intelligence and cultural sophistication. Their professional attitude made it a very positive environment to be in.

I worked mainly in the south but also, briefly, in the north. I was cast opposite Aamir Khan in the Bollywood Hindi film Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander, directed by Mansoor Khan and produced by Nasir Hussain the crack team responsible for the wonderful Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988).

Doors opening.

I - and the films I was in - won numerous awards, including a National Award nomination for my performance in Hrydanjali. I also received several excellent reviews for my work and featured in a number of magazine articles. But it was certainly Mani Ratnam's Geethanjali that opened up the whole Indian film world to me. Due to that film I was featured on the cover (full, colour) of Screen, India (Issue of June 30, 1989). And one day I even received a phone call from the great Tamil film star Rajnikant, who suggested we do a film together.

I have to say - Rajnikant is a real gentleman. He not only makes his own calls, as he did to me (and I was but a budding new star), but he is extremely polite too.

One evening I, a group of friends and my brother who was visiting me were dining at the Taj Hotel in Chennai. We had noticed that Rajnikant was at another table with his wife. But what we had not realised was that Rajnikant had noticed us.

On finishing his meal, Rajnikant got up, left his table and walked over to our table. He had recognised me and did not feel it beneath him to extend his good wishes. He reached over to shake my hand and said he hoped we had a good evening. It was an incredible moment and everyone was slightly in shock afterwards. According to the papers, Rajnikant does a lot of philanthropy and practises yoga well, I can safely say that his character matches his public persona.

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