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With web shows like The Family Man and The Good Wife, Priya Mani Raj has found a renewed connection with audiences across India. While she has long been a well-known name in the South, the digital space has helped her reach a wider, pan-India audience. Yet, her journey with Hindi cinema began much earlier — with Mani Ratnam’s Raavan. When asked if she had high expectations from her Bollywood debut , she says, “Yes, I did. I was brought up watching Hindi films, so when I got an offer to do the Hindi version of Raavan, I was thrilled. I got to act with Abhishek Bachchan and so many wonderful actors like Ravi Kishan and Pankaj Tripathi. I was very happy. I didn’t have scenes with Aishwarya, but I met her during promotions, and she was so warm.”

She adds, “Honestly, I did think I’d get more offers after that. But I was quite selective. I got some offers that I liked and some I wasn’t convinced about, so I just kept them at bay. I wasn’t disappointed because I had my plate full with South films anyway.”

‘Nobody is perfect when they start out’

Opening up about her initial journey, Priya Mani reflects on how she learned the ropes without any guidance. She says, “When I look back at my old pictures or films, I’m like, ‘Why was I like this?’ But it’s a learning process. Nobody is perfect when they start out. Back then, I didn’t even know what grooming meant. I was 18 when I started out, and no one in my family was from the industry. I didn’t have a godfather to guide me, so I went with my instinct. I still do. I didn’t know you could have a personal makeup artist, a hairstylist, or even someone called a stylist,” she laughs, adding, “My peers had friends styling for them, and I just figured things out on my own.”

It was much later, she says, that she began to understand the importance of self-care. “It was only around 2011 or 2012 that I realised you could actually hire a stylist or get a designer to put things together for you. And after I started dating Mustafa (her husband), I learned to invest in myself — to look good, go for a manicure or pedicure, take care of myself, and look presentable,” signs off the Jawan actress.