A down-to-earth person. That's Sneha. She talks about films and how she wants to be remembered .

IN AN industry where glamour rules, Sneha has managed to let her performance speak. Author-backed roles and her girl-next-door looks have helped carve a niche for herself on celluloid.

Flush with the success of Vasoolraja MBBS and the nostalgic Autograph, the actress says she does not crave mere popularity. "I don't want to be called a dream girl... I want people to think I am what they would want their daughters to be," adds Sneha, in town to inaugurate a new line of diamond jewellery at Kirtilal Kalidas.

Her career in films did not take off with a bang. Virumbugiren, her first outing, was released long after some of her other movies were out. However, it managed to win good reviews. "I wanted that film to be released first. Not that I am disappointed with what I got, but that film would've shown everyone what I could do."

Two of her movies hit the marquee last week - Athu and Bose. In a departure from her regular `sweet girl' roles, she plays a blind girl who gets visions in Athu, a thriller. In Bose, she plays herself - a bubbly vaayadi.

How did it feel working with Kamal Hassan? "I am a big fan of Kamal Sir and was so much in awe of him that I even forgot my lines. It was great working with him and Prabhu Sir. They made me feel at home," she states.

Some reviewers made a pointed reference to the fan in Sneha taking over the actress in the film. Did she mind it? "Tell me, is it not very difficult to hide the fan in you when you meet such a great artiste?" she asks.

She made her entry at a time when `Bombay' heroines were ruling Tamil filmdom. Slowly, she endeared herself to the masses with her choice of roles. Was that journey easy? "No. I'm not complaining but, initially, I was labelled an unlucky actress and many wrote me off. But, with films like Parthiban Kanavu and Autograph, I was able to prove that glamour is not necessary to succeed. The industry is looking for performance now," she says.

Her plus points? "I look Tamil and look like a girl you would bump into on the street."

Character-speak

Ask Sneha how she managed to effortlessly portray the two well fleshed-out characters of Sathya and Janani in Parthiban Kanavu, and she says that was how she could repay its director Karu Palaniappan's faith. "He made the offer just days after my accident (near Tirupati, just after April Madathil rolled on the floor). He felt I could do justice to the roles. I tried to live up to his faith. I still feel it was that film which catapulted me to the big league."

The actress says more people are looking to make heroine-oriented subjects, but making a choice is difficult. "I might get 10 interesting scripts, but I have to pick and choose as I can't gauge the audience reaction. The public accepts many genres of movies."

She entered the industry at a very young age. Any regrets about losing out on college life? "No. I got into acting soon after I completed school. For two years, I missed out on nothing, because I was living a fantasy. But, now, when I see college girls, I feel a little something gnawing at my heart."

What keeps her going is the realisation that she's got so much more by virtue of being in the movies. "That kind of compensates," she smiles.