Regarding her interaction with Ajay Devgn on the set of Maidaan, Priyamani told ETimes, “Ajay sir and I did not get a lot of time to interact because I worked on the film for only about 12-15 days.Most of it was on set. We didn’t have much time to interact and get to know each other better. But in the meantime, he was enquiring a lot about the South film industries, some actors and directors. That was the maximum. I hope to get to work with him in the future.”
Speaking about Shah Rukh Khan, Priyamani praised his humility, down-to-earth nature, caring demeanor, and respectful attitude. About Manoj Bajpayee, Priyamani said, “Manoj sir is very jovial once you get to know him. He is extremely funny and friendly. The kids on The Family Man used to adore him, and talk to him, like best friends. They used to have lunch together in his vanity van. He made sure that the kids were well-fed. He is a great person to work with. When we were all promoting The Family Man Season 1 in Delhi, we started to talk to each other one-on-one and got to know each other better.”
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Priyamani then recalled her memorable stint in Rohit Shetty‘s Chennai Express. She vividly recounted receiving a surprising call from Rohit Shetty’s office and initially thinking it was a prank. However, it turned out to be a genuine opportunity to work in the film.
“I got a call from Rohit Shetty’s office. I thought it was a prank call. But then it turned out to be true and flew down to Mumbai to Rohit sir’s office. He told me about Chennai Express. I was aware of the film because I had seen an ad in a newspaper featuring Shah Rukh and Deepika,” Priyamani told us.
She continued, “He told me that he saw my Kannada song with Puneet Rajkumar on YouTube. He said, “I want you for this number.” The only question I had was, “Sir, you have the biggest names in the industry, Shah Rukh and Deepika, I hope I’m not a background dancer.” He said, “The song is between you and Shah Rukh. Deepika is not there in the song.” I said, “Okay sir, where am I signing?””
She further added, “I said yes to the song in 15 minutes. I heard the song in his office. Within one week of that meeting, I went to Wai and started shooting this song. We shot the song over five nights in Wai. It was one of the best experiences ever. He’s such a hard-working actor. This kind of style was new to him. So, getting himself used to the South style of dancing was new to him. He still says, “She’s my dance teacher.” On sets, I taught him the little jhatka-matkas. Even after pack-up, he used to stay back for 30-45 minutes and rehearse so that he doesn’t fumble the next day. I absolutely enjoyed working with him.”
Priyamani is all set to kick-start work on the third season of The Family Man, headlined by Manoj Bajpayee and directed by Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK. She was last seen in SRK starrer Jawan, directed by Atlee.
