Lady luck seems to be smiling on pretty actress Trisha whose films, both in Tamil and Telugu are proving to be huge hits, writes Hema Vijay.

After a series of resounding hits, Tamil heartthrob Trisha's career seems firmly on the rise. In the less than two years that she has been in films, Trisha has carved out a place for herself both in the Tamil and the Telugu film industry.

From model to Miss Chennai-2000 to stardom in the south, the lass has come a long way, and in an amazingly short time at that. The remarkable thing is that Trisha has shown tremendous judgment; all the films she has signed have turned out to be hits, with the exception of Ayutha Ezhuthu. Her films Gilli and Saamy (Tamil) and Varsham (Telugu) have been not just hits, but blockbusters, in an era when most films seem to be failing. Saamy with Vikram was a high point in Trisha's career, which set her status spiraling upwards.

How does the actress make the right choice, one wonders. "My first priority is to the director. Like if it is Mani Ratnam, then I sign it immediately. The next priority is to the script and my role," Trisha says. Despite the failure of Ayutha Ezhuthu, she is still goggle eyed at Mani Ratnam. "It was a wonderful experience to work with Mani Ratnam and he is one director who can make even a stone act," Trisha says. The actress had all along planned to pursue an MBA from Australia, but Priyadarshan's Lesa Lesa offer took her in another direction altogether. She quit her BBA midway and flung herself into films wholeheartedly. "I liked the role Priyadarshan had described. I accepted it because it was a good launch," Trisha says.

Trisha's mother Uma Krishnan listens to scripts, discusses her roles, handles her dates, media interaction, finances, costumes and just about everything. Uma Krishnan in fact quit her job to oversee her daughter's career. "Mom has been a pillar of strength to me," Trisha says.

"I'm now taking it one day at a time. I don't want to look too much ahead," Trisha muses. "The tinsel world seems all glamour and glitz from the outside. But inside, it is just too tense and taxing and also very tiring. You have to be on call 24 hours a day, depending on the script," she bemoans.

Tamil is where her heart is, but Telugu seems to be pulling at her too. "Yes, I know the response in Telugu is amazing, but I will do both Tamil and Telugu films," she says. Trisha has no plans of moving to Bollywood. "Why should I when I am getting so many good offers here," she says. In Telugu, Trisha has N&N with Siddharth, besides Athadu with Mahesh Babu. As for Tamil films, the young actress has on her hands Thiruppachi with Vijay and another Linguswamy movie at the end of the year.

Trisha's urban, teenage looks make her a hot favourite among the youth. Trisha denies this saying, "Success in films is not about looks. More beautiful girls than me have failed." Although she has the looks and luck, some critics are still not all praise for the young actress. She is yet to prove her acting skills, some complain. Well, her numerous fans don't seem to be bothered by it.