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                           Revathy in Michigan - An exclusive interview 

Revathy, with more than 16 years experience in the entertainment industry, has won five Filmfare awards for Best Actress for her performance in the Tamil films Mann Vasanai, Thevar Magan; Anjali; Telugu film Ankuram; and Malayalam film Kakothi Kaavil Appoopan Thadigal. She was also awarded the National award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the Tamil film, Thevar Magan in 1992.

There comes a time when down the years they stop thinking about their own feelings and their wants. Their likes and their dislikes! 'Mitr' reemphasizes the fact that the lack of communication and friendship-the backbone of any relationship can lead to emotional poverty.

"Films like these do not run", mentioned Revathy while addressing the audience post-movie session. " I am here to promote meaningful cinema". Talking about her smooth transition from a revolutionary middle class housewife in Pudhumai Penn to becoming a Producer/Director, Revathy asserted that it was a "natural transition". Being an actress "you always want to direct in the end". She further said that she was "always interested in the technical aspects of film-making".

This leads to a very clichéd question: Is this a woman-oriented subject? "No", said Revathy. This film - a must for every man and woman explores the nuances of marriage, firmly believing in every individual's strength and capacity to make things better. "I believe that a man and a woman are equals" and both need to give in equally. "My film does not necessarily cater to that 20% of working women who speak out their minds", said Revathy. Movie characters give people a lot of strength, and women from India especially "need that push, that encouragement". "It's a wonderful movie. It has made me think about my wife and her qualities", a quiet response from a male software engineer.

Revathy said that her husband Suresh Menon's constant support enabled her to take up this project and finish it on time. "Suresh had implicit faith in me. He trusted me and encouraged me when the entire team or I was down and frustrated. Thanks to net phone and the chat, he proved to be a major motivational factor in this team project.

Revathy attributes the completion and fruition of her project to the "all women" crew that made it all happen. All debutantes and professionals in their own way (with the exception of Bina (editor) and Thamarai (lyrics)), Revathy commended Priya's screenplay by saying, "I wish she was here. It was her story". Priya wrote the story and Revathy provided the cinematic angle.

Describing her all woman crew, Revathy remarked, "it was like a family". "All were supportive of each other. All women vibed very well and understood each other. All of us were multi-tasking and had that energy and fire to go ahead". Whether it's a man or a woman, at the end of the day all of them were "good technicians". Talking about piracy, Revathy was disappointed that movies end before they make their entry into the theatres. The official release of the DVD/audio for the movie 'Mitr' will be the first week of April.

As she hoped and wished that Lagaan would win the Oscars, the conversation soon ended, as it was time for the last show of the evening. In her words "I have no statements and I don't give messages. Life gives us messages. "Its' unto you to take it". As we bid adieu to this darling of South Indian cinema that evening, we left with the feeling that here is a "thinking" artiste who is likely to entertain us with her talent and new projects in the coming years.

P.S. Addressing a packed house, Revathy thanked the Michigan community for the overwhelming response and support for her directorial debut.