Veteran actress Suhasini Maniratnam recently shared a hilarious yet challenging experience from her early acting career during an International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2025 session in Goa. The acclaimed actress revealed that her Kannada film debut with legendary director K Balachander involved an astonishing 29 takes for a single dialogue due to language barriers.
The Challenging Kannada Debut
Speaking at the 'The Luminary Icons: Creative Bonds and Fierce Performances' session on Friday, November 21, 2025, Suhasini recounted her experience working on 'Benkiyalli Aralida Hoovu' in 1983. Despite having already established herself in Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam industries and winning a state award for best actress at just 18, the Kannada film presented unexpected difficulties.
'I was a confident actor by that time - Kamal Haasan's niece, studied in a film institute and all that,' Suhasini told the audience. However, her confidence was tested when Balachander gave her a particularly challenging dialogue that turned into a tongue twister for the young actress.
The 29-Take Ordeal
The filming session for this single dialogue began at 9 AM and continued until noon, with Suhasini struggling to perfect her delivery. Her co-stars, including her uncle Kamal Haasan, patiently waited as she attempted the dialogue repeatedly.
'I had to do 29 takes before the shot was okay,' she revealed. 'The 29th take was also not okay, but Balachander said that if I say this dialogue one more time, he will die of boredom or I'll die gasping for breath, so let's just keep this scene as okay and move ahead.'
During the IFFI session, Suhasini even displayed the problematic dialogue on screen, giving attendees a glimpse of what made it so difficult to deliver.
Director's Compromise and Aftermath
The situation reached a point where the perfectionist director had to make an unusual compromise. 'The director compromised because I wasn't able to crack it,' Suhasini admitted. She added with wisdom gained from experience: 'Today I get it, but I didn't get it 23 years ago.'
This candid revelation at IFFI 2025 provides a fascinating look into the challenges actors face with language barriers in Indian cinema, even for established performers. It also highlights the patience required from directors and co-stars during the filmmaking process.
The session showcased how even the most promising actors can face unexpected hurdles, and how sometimes, moving forward requires accepting imperfection rather than pursuing unattainable perfection.
