Simran: Top performances of the actress

Starting off as a television anchor to later achieving superstardom in films, actress Simran has come a long way. In a career spanning more than two decades, Simran has everything to her credit. Over the years, Simran has been equally appreciated both for her performance-oriented films and glamorous roles. She is one of the few actresses who had made a successful career in other industries as well. As Simran turns a year older today, we take a look at her top performances in Tamil films.

Simran forayed into Bollywood before making her debut in Tamil. She was paired opposite Prabhudheva in the comedy film ‘VIP’, which was commercially successful. In the same year, Simran gave two memorable performances in films like ‘Once More’ and ‘Nerukku Ner’. The latter was produced by Mani Ratnam and turned out to be an important film for Vijay, Suriya and Simran who play the lead roles. ‘Nerukku Ner’, directed by Vasanth, was extremely popular for Simran’s dance in the song ‘Manam Virumbuthe’. ‘Once More’ saw Simran playing a slightly grey-shaded character. However, the film was a success when it released.

Simran collaborated with Ajith Kumar in ‘Vaali’, which became one of the smashing hits in Tamil cinema. It tells the story of twin brothers Deva and Shiva, who fall in love with Priya (played by Simran). Things turn a drastic turn when Shiva marries Priya, while Deva starts to lust over his sister-in-law. Simran gave one of her compelling performances in ‘Vaali’, which earned her a lot of laurels. The film was directed by SJ Suryah and became extremely successful at the box-office. After the success, Ajith Kumar went on to star opposite Simran in films like ‘Aval Varuvala’ and ‘Unnai Kodu Ennai Tharuven’.

‘Thullatha Manamum Thullum’ saw Simran flexing her acting prowess. The film tells the love story of a college student Rukku, played by Simran and an aspiring singer Kutty (Vijay). Due to an unfortunate accident, Rukku becomes blind for a brief period. Even after all these years, ‘Thullatha Manamum Thullum’ is being praised for an uncompromising performance by both Vijay and Simran. Upon release, the songs by SA Rajkumar were a huge hit among the audiences, especially the song Innisai Paadivarum. Directed by Ezil, the film was a money spinner at the box-office and was remade in several languages. Notably, Simran won the Tamil Nadu State Award for Best Actress. Vijay and Simran have worked in several films and were known as one of the successful jodis in Kollywood.

Arguably, Simran’s finest performance came through Mani Ratnam’s ‘Kannathil Muthamittal, which is often regarded as one of the best Indian films of all-time. Set in the political backdrop of the Sri Lankan issue, Mani Ratnam told a heart-warming story on the reconciliation of an adopted with her former mother. Though the film had actress Nandita Das playing the role of a militant, it was Simran’s role that was widely appreciated by the critics. Simran showed a gamut of emotions that fetched her the Filmfare Award for Best Best Actress. The railway station scene between Simran and Keerthana left the audience in teary-eyed. ‘Kannathil Muthamittal’ opened to rave reviews and won several national and international awards. Apart from the story, the major highlight was the climax scene featuring the ladies Simran, Nandita Das and Keerthana.

Simran took a break from acting after entering into a wedlock with husband Deepak Bagga. The evergreen actress once again returned to silver screen with Gautham Menon’s ‘Vaaranam Aayiram’ in 2008, which went on to become the biggest hit at the box-office. Simran’s portrayal of Suriya’s wife and mother melted the hearts of the audiences. The song ‘Mundhinam Parthene’, in which Suriya and Simran recreate a retro romance was a huge hit back then. ‘Vaaranam Aayiram’ won the National Award for Best Film that year and Simran was awarded the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress. The film gave the much-needed breakthrough to Simran, who has since played many important roles. Simran is once again working with Gautham Menon for ‘Dhruva Natchathiram’, in which she’s reportedly playing a pivotal role.