Usha Uthup: I don’t want to play myself onscreen anymore

Singer Usha Uthup’s first brush with acting happened with Bombay To Goa (1973). She also did a cameo in Rock On 2 (2016). And last month, she made her digital acting debut with the Tamil dramedy Achcham Madam Naanam Payirppu, where she played a pivotal part.

For Uthup, doing a film is enough and whether it has a theatrical or digital release doesn’t bother her: “I was just happy that I got the offer. The idea was wonderful. I’m a grandmother in real life, too, and playing one who is her granddaughter’s confidante made me feel so good.”

And going forward, she plans on essaying different characters on screen. “I’ve played myself in films. Being Usha Uthup [on screen] is easy, but I don’t want to do that anymore. I’m happy being someone else. I don’t mind playing a small character as long as it adds meaning to the story,” she says.

In Uthup’s words, she’s a “director’s actor” and looks at every film as “a learning experience”. The singer-actor elaborates, “I do what they (the directors) tell me to do. Whenever they asked me to improvise or play a character my way, I did that in 7 Khoon Maaf (Hindi film; 2011) and Potham Vava (Malayalam movie; 2006). I have been acting ever since my school days. Over the years, I have worked with actors like Mammootty, Kamal Haasan, Naseeruddin Shah, Amitabh Bachchan and Annu Kapoor, and all the experiences were marvellous.”

So, how does she plan on balancing acting and music? “It’s my audience and their love and support that keep me inspired. I have always maintained that if I get a job that involves entertaining people, I’ll happily do it,” ends the 74-year-old.