There’s certainly more to Priyamani than her coveted National Award. The actress, a Tamilian raised in Bangalore, holds a distinct position none others in the competitive race today hold: being introduced by a doyen on cinema, Barathiraja, only to have her acting skills polished by Balu Mahendra. One of the most promising young directors, Ameer, and now, Mani Ratnam, only add glory to her elite list of associated directors.

She has been lucky with directors but that is not it all. Priyamani is among the handpicked actresses today to dub in her own voice. Having proven her prowess in many offbeat roles, Priyamani today stands to say she doesn’t necessarily belong to art house cinema. She can dabble in mainstream song-dance routines as well. If there was ‘Paruthiveeran’, there was also ‘Malaikkottai’. The tightrope walk kept intact.

The actress today is doing a role of her lifetime, in a bilingual, ‘Raavana’. There are stories about her planning to move to Bollywood as there are legends about her tacky sartorial senses. But there’s no denying that Priyamani is an actress of a kind.

Here’s wishing her, a very happy birthday!