Andrea comes clear on her relationship status

Rumours are rife that Andrea Jeremiah’s terribly upset over her miniscule role in Aayirathil Oruvan

You’ve been accused of having a relationship with director Selvaraghavan, and yet your role in Aayirathil Oruvan (AO) is not very meaty. What made you agree to be such a small part of such a big film?
To begin with, none of the actors knew the exact depth or screen-time of their roles. The decision to be a part of this film was based solely on trust in the director’s ability to deliver something special, and in that respect, I think he has succeeded. In terms of the actors, to be honest, only Selva knew the emotional graph of every character. And yes, I was disappointed with the way my role has finally turned out. But no, I don’t regret being a part of the film because it was a terrific learning experience for me. It was not an easy film to make. People may love it or hate it, but it’s made people sit up and think about something. Cinema is to the 21st century what art was to the renaissance period. There must be a greater purpose to making a film. There are a handful of directors out there who realise this and respect this about their art.

Are you in a relationship with Selva?
It’s tempting to resort to the cliched ‘we’re good friends’, but really, it’s a difficult relationship, owing to all the negativity associated with it. I hope time will remedy that. However, that doesn’t change the fact that I will always have an incredible amount of respect and admiration for him and his work. I think he is one of the most intelligent filmmakers around and AO is only the beginning of a new phase in his life.

Did you have a showdown with Selva over your role?
There was no showdown. I would never disrespect my director by refusing to shoot for him just because I doubted the strength of my role. I did ask him several times — what is my character doing in the second half of the film? — But then, that is the point at which the focus shifts completely, the second half is like another film altogether. There was too much to be explained in too little time. At the end of the day, AO is one of those films where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. In a perfect world, every character would’ve had closure in the film. Sadly, my character didn’t have closure.