‘I was forced to do those scenes...’: Actress Mohini opens up about her role in ‘Kanmani’

Veteran South Indian actress Mohini, who rose to prominence in the 1990s with roles in Tamil and Malayalam cinema, has opened up about a difficult chapter in her career.

In an interview with Tamil outlet Aval Vikatan, the actress recalled being pressured into performing intimate scenes for the Tamil film ‘Kanmani’, an experience she says went against her will.

“Director RK Selvamani planned this swimming suit sequence. I was so uncomfortable, I cried and refused to do it, and shooting was halted for half a day,” Mohini recounted. “I tried to explain that I didn't even know how to swim! And how could I possibly learn half-dressed in front of male instructors? Back then, female instructors were practically non-existent. So I just couldn't imagine doing it. It felt like I was ‘forced’ to do that sequence for the song ‘Udal Thazhuva’.”

The actress said the pressure did not end there. “It felt like I was forced to do those scenes. I worked for half a day and gave what they asked. Later, when they said the same scene had to be shot in Ooty, I refused. When they told me the shoot would not continue, I said, ‘That is your problem, not mine. It was in the same way you had forced me to do that earlier.’”

Although Mohini described her role in ‘Kanmani’ as “very beautiful and challenging,” she noted that the project never received the recognition it deserved. “So ‘Kanmani’ was the only movie I was overly glamorous without my consent. Sometimes things happen against one's will, and this sequence was one such instance,” she said.

The actress also shed light on major roles she missed out on over the years, including the one eventually played by Simran in ‘Vaaranam Aayiram’. “The role played by Simran in ‘Vaaranam Aayiram’ first came to me,” Mohini revealed, adding that her younger brother’s wife, a fan of Suriya, was disappointed by her decision to decline. “When I turned it down, she got upset and asked, ‘Akka, couldn’t you have done it?’ I told her, ‘Even if I did the film, it’s me acting with Suriya, not you.’ Many people assume we refuse roles ourselves. Someone told them I wasn’t acting anymore, and that’s how the role went to Simran. The director himself later told me about it,” she said.

Another notable near-miss was Rajinikanth’s blockbuster ‘Muthu’. “Even in ‘Muthu’, until the last moment it was between me and Meena. But in the end, the role went to Meena. They asked if I would meet and speak with them, but I wasn’t willing. If something is meant for us, we don’t need to chase it, whether it’s love, work, or marriage. If it’s meant for us, it will come. There was a whole night of discussions about whether I or Meena would play the heroine. When they chose Meena, I felt relaxed. I believed God had something else in store for me. ‘Chinna Thambi’ too was lost due to a date clash,” Mohini explained.

After marriage, Mohini gradually stepped away from acting, with her personal life undergoing several transformations. Her conversion to Christianity once made headlines, a change she said was deeply personal. “All I could think about was dying. I kept wondering why such things were happening even though I had everything. My condition was caused by black magic performed by a woman who was my husband’s cousin. It was my faith in Jesus that saved me,” she said, adding that her family supported her decision.

Now settled abroad with her husband and two children, Mohini remains a cherished figure among fans who still remember her for a string of acclaimed performances in Malayalam cinema.