It is my turn to give back to this life, which has given me so much and the cause of children is very close to my heart. I feel honoured to be part of Child Takeover initiative of UNICEF,” remarked a visibly excited Trisha, after she was conferred the Celebrity Advocate status by UNICEF, on the occasion of World Children’s Day.
She added, “Children are the future of the nation. Addressing issues related to them is extremely gratifying for me.”
As a Goodwill Ambassador (first actor chosen from the South), she will voice the rights of children, including adolescents and young people and lend support to efforts for addressing anemia, child marriage, child labour and child abuse, faced by millions of children.
Apart from spreading positive messages, the actress will also make physical appearances for the endeavour.
Talking about the need for sex education in schools, Trisha insisted, “It’s still a taboo to talk about periods and puberty. Yes, sex education should be inculcated right from school. It’s all about awareness and once they understand, things will change. I feel parents should also talk to their children about it.”
Admitting films do influence people, the actress said, “I do agree that, sometimes, cinema has an impact on individuals. But one should know that it’s not reality and only a fantasy. That’s where the part of education comes — one can rationalise things and view cinema as an entertainment.”
When asked about the meaning of love, she quipped, “I am still searching for an answer (smiles). Love, for me, is compatibility, God and friendship — which are basically relative things.”
Revealing as to how extra curricular activities in her school helped her shed inhibition on stage, she said, “I feel activities like sports, playing piano, music, dramatics and a library is a must in every school. I learnt dramatics at school, which gave me confidence later when I joined films.”
Though she was evasive about certain filmy questions, she took all the queries in her stride. “I am here because of cinema. With many fans following, they want to listen to you. So, as an actor I feel one has a responsibility — I should do and say the right thing.”
Reacting to a query on whether showing school kids being in love on screen is a form of child abuse, she said, “If it’s shown as a comedy, just enjoy it. Don’t delve deep in to it and take it seriously.”
Asked about child labour in the cinema industry, she said, “I don’t think we use children on the shooting spots. If it happens, I would definitely take necessary action.”
Is it a way to slowly get into politics, we asked. “Oh no! Even being outside politics, we can serve people,” she replied and added, “I definitely want to do more female-centric movies.”
On the last question of her showing interest in essaying late Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa, Trisha said, “Yes, I have immense respect and love for our late CM Jayalalithaa madam. It was a ‘Q and A’ session, where I replied that I was ready to be featured on a biopic of Amma — only if I get an opportunity. That’s all!”
