Good Wife actor Priyamani: I get to play varied roles for the OTT | EXCLUSIVE

Priyamani is one of the few personalities from the south who has managed to carve a niche for herself, be it in terms of working both in Hindi and across the south industries, or trying out the OTT space and actually conquering it. This time is a double bonanza for Priyamani, who is back in Tamil with the web series Good Wife that she headlines. But what does the term Good Wife actually mean to her?

What does good wife mean to Priyamani

“We are in a society where a woman is given labels, like wife, mother, and homemaker. Beyond all this, how she redefines the terms in her own way can also be a good wife. Living in a society where it is very easy to give a title to a woman praising about how she is a good wife. But for her to live up to that name is also a thing. A good wife is also a good lady, partner, and one who redefines all these titles, and the steps she takes to retain that title that society has given, is what I would call a good wife,” Priyamani.

And speaking about women and shuttling between various titles, one has to mention how Priyamani’s mother took voluntary retirement so that she could support and accompany her daughter’s ambition to become an actor. The actor acknowledges that women sacrificing to level up in their careers is still there, but also says that there are women who sacrifice and love doing it.

“Hats off to them, and it is a bold step they have taken for their children. In my situation, it was a step when my mother did not want her daughter to be alone in the industry. It could also be because of my family’s decision to have one parent be with me. It was not family pressure, but it was out of choice when she took up VRS. She was running to become a bank manager, and the sacrifice she made was bold of her. That also becomes a good wife.”

Also read: Good Wife on OTT: When and where to stream Priyamani’s web series in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi

Priyamani says that her Good Wife is just an adaptation of the American legal drama The Good Wife. Adding that it is not just a carbon copy of the original, but has been adapted to make it socially relevant to the Tamil culture. With the series dealing with a woman’s husband getting caught in a sex scandal and the wife coming to terms with it and returning as a lawyer, Priyamani briefs, “How she bounces back after the scandal, how it has affected people around her, and she trying to fight back without sulking at home. The series shows the struggle of the single mother, if I may say, since she is alone at home, and how she takes care of everyone at home so that she wants some sense of normalcy. This might be something that may not be in the original and other versions.”

Being a polyglot and understanding a scene

Priyamani is a polyglot, and that has helped her immensely while working in languages including Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi and Malayalam. The multi-lingual actor says that this talent helps understanding what one utters (even as otherwise someone on sets can help), but also adds a layer it helps her to emote what she says rather than emote like a parrot. “I would like to make it as convincing as possible, and I want the audience to resonate and relate with how I react to them. That is what I probably want to take back after every film. That connectivity is what I feel, and it is always an added advantage. I haven’t dubbed in Malayalam only so far, because my slang and accent are different. But that apart, you can understand what is being said.” Going a step further, Priyamani says she often sits with the director or assistant directors and reads the whole scene to understand the happening in that particular sequence, the characters' responses and reactions. This is to make sure that she is aware of the scene.

Also read: OTTplay Awards 2025: Priya Mani wins Best Actor in a Comedy for Bhamakalapam

As opposed to films, Priyamani feels series have a little more scope to explore character arcs. She adds that OTT has become one such thing where one can explore certain touchpoints that cinema might not have given. “I get to play varied roles for the OTT. It is not every day that I get to play Anupama (from Bhamakalapam) for a 70mm, but it was an OTT film. With Family Man, I might be playing a wife, but it was a different type of role. Suchitra (from Family Man) fights with her husband Srikanth (Manoj Bajpayee) when she realises that he is lying through his teeth, as she doesn’t know that he is a RAW agent. We, in fact, met some of the families of RAW agents, and that is exactly what happens. They are sworn to secrecy, and they cannot tell their families about their actual job. Sometimes I have heard that women understood that their husbands were at a job, but didn’t know what they did. So, you get to play different roles while doing a web series.”

While accepting that actors may get accustomed to certain type of expressions overtime, Priyamani takes the example of Charulatha, a film she did where she portrayed as co-joined twins with opposing personalities. The actor recalls how she sat down with the team to design the looks for both of her characters. “We had conversations with my body double, how each of them reacts to the situations. It is about trying and testing, give and take helping out process.”

Does the mention of Muthazhagu irk Priyamani?

A conversation with Priyamani never ends without the mention of Muthazhagu, an iconic character she played in Paruthiveeran which even fetched her National Film Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. But does it irk her that despite 18 years of release, the character keeps resurfacing in her conversations? “Not at all, I think it is their love, encouragement and undying support for the character has made me what I am today. Even now, I keep getting messages and it feels nice that they fell for the character and film. I always feel well when they say something nice about my characters.”

As Priyamani remains guarded and tight-lipped about Jana Nayagan and The Family Man 3, the actor says it’s too early to talk about the projects.