Sanjana Krishnamoorthy on Pongal, Lubber Pandhu Success and Her Dream of Becoming a Director: “If Not Now, Then When?”

Sanjana Krishnamoorthy may have found recognition as an actor, but her long-term ambition remains behind the camera. After making an impression in Vadhandhi: The Fable of Velonie and Lubber Pandhu, the actor took a major step towards her childhood dream by assisting Mani Ratnam on Thug Life.

For Sanjana Krishnamoorthy, acting may have opened the door to the Tamil film industry, but filmmaking has always been the destination she imagined for herself.

The actor, who attracted attention with her performances in the Tamil projects Vadhandhi: The Fable of Velonie and Lubber Pandhu, has already begun exploring the other side of filmmaking. She worked as an assistant to acclaimed filmmaker Mani Ratnam on Thug Life, the Kamal Haasan-led film.

What makes the move particularly significant is that direction was not a recently discovered ambition for Sanjana. She had wanted to become a filmmaker since childhood and had been attempting to find opportunities to work behind the camera even before acting became part of her career.

As she prepared for Pongal, Sanjana reflected on her career, her experiences in cinema and why she ultimately decided that it was time to pursue the dream she had been carrying for years.

Sanjana Krishnamoorthy’s Pongal Memories Begin at School

Pongal has always been associated with family, food and a break from school for Sanjana.

She recalled enjoying the celebrations that took place at school before the festival holidays, particularly the performances and extracurricular activities.

For Sanjana, Pongal was also one of those occasions when she could dress traditionally for school.

Her family celebrations are comparatively simple. Her mother usually prepares pongal at home, making the festival an intimate family occasion rather than a grand affair.

After an eventful period following the release of Lubber Pandhu, however, Sanjana admitted that she was unsure exactly how her Pongal celebrations would unfold.

2024 Was a Defining Year for Sanjana

The year brought two very different milestones for Sanjana.

While working on Lubber Pandhu, she could not have predicted how much attention the film would eventually receive. Around the same period, she also found herself involved with Thug Life, a project that was not originally part of her plans.

Looking back, she described the year as particularly enriching because of the sheer number of unexpected opportunities that came her way.

Her performance as Durga in Lubber Pandhu helped strengthen her position as a performer capable of taking on substantial roles, following her debut as Velonie in Vadhandhi: The Fable of Velonie.

Why Sanjana Chose to Assist Mani Ratnam

Sanjana’s decision to work as an assistant director could easily have seemed unconventional, particularly at a point when her acting career was gaining momentum.

People around her questioned why she would step away from the path that had already begun working for her.

But for Sanjana, the opportunity represented something much bigger.

She had been trying to enter filmmaking since college and had reached out to people in the industry in the hope of finding an opportunity to assist a director. Acting eventually became her professional entry point, pushing her original ambition into the background.

When the chance finally arrived, she decided that waiting any longer would only create regret.

Her approach was simple: if she did not attempt it when the opportunity presented itself, she might spend years wondering what could have happened.

The decision paid off when she joined the team of Mani Ratnam.

Working With Mani Ratnam Changed Her Perspective

Sanjana described her experience with Mani Ratnam as one of the most important decisions of her life.

Rather than viewing the assistant director role as a distraction from acting, she embraced it as an opportunity to understand filmmaking from another perspective.

Working alongside an experienced filmmaker gave her exposure to the process of constructing a film beyond what an actor sees in front of the camera.

Sanjana has said that the experience taught her more than she could easily explain in a series of interviews.

It also strengthened her belief that directing remains the career she ultimately wants to pursue.

Will Sanjana Krishnamoorthy Become a Director?

For now, acting remains her immediate priority.

The response to Lubber Pandhu has changed the kind of scripts being offered to her, with Sanjana now receiving opportunities involving larger projects and more substantial roles.

She intends to be selective rather than rushing into her next project.

But her long-term plans are clear.

If she were forced to choose between acting and directing, Sanjana says she would choose directing.

The reason is simple: filmmaking has been her dream for more than a decade, while acting entered her life later.

That does not mean she is abandoning acting. Instead, she appears to see the two disciplines as complementary parts of her journey in cinema.

Sanjana Chooses Stories She Would Want to Watch

When deciding whether to accept a project, Sanjana does not divide stories into straightforward categories such as commercial cinema or content-driven cinema.

Her primary question is whether she would genuinely want to watch the story herself.

If the premise excites her and she feels she would enjoy watching the finished project, that becomes the deciding factor.

It is an approach that also helps explain why her early filmography has included performance-oriented roles rather than being driven solely by conventional commercial considerations.

Breaking Into Cinema Without Industry Connections

For someone without an established film-family background, entering the industry can be difficult.

Sanjana said one of the biggest challenges is figuring out whom to trust and whose advice to follow.

There is no guaranteed formula for building a career, and people can offer conflicting suggestions based on their own experiences.

Her own experience with Thug Life became an example of why she believes it is important to make certain decisions independently.

Had she listened to everyone who advised her against becoming an assistant director, she would have missed an experience she now considers invaluable.

The lesson, she suggested, is that aspiring filmmakers and actors eventually have to learn how to evaluate advice for themselves.

What Does Sanjana Do Away From Cinema?

Reading and watching films and television shows are among Sanjana’s favourite ways to unwind.

Her viewing choices vary according to her mood, and she does not restrict herself to one particular genre.

She has previously gone through phases of watching horror and also enjoys series when she feels the direction and acting are strong.

Reading is another important part of her routine, although she admitted that she did not spend as much time with books during the previous year as she would have liked.

One of her personal goals is therefore to return to reading more regularly.

Sanjana’s Approach to Fitness and Skincare

Sanjana does not follow a rigid fitness programme.

Instead, she likes experimenting with different forms of exercise. She has tried going to the gym, yoga and is considering dance as another way to stay active.

Her approach to skincare is similarly uncomplicated.

She believes that diet plays a major role in how she feels and looks, noting that unhealthy food can quickly affect her skin, hair and mood.

For her, maintaining a healthy lifestyle is therefore less about following a complicated beauty routine and more about paying attention to what she eats.

Sanjana’s Dream Is Bigger Than Acting

Sanjana’s career is still at an early stage, but her ambitions extend well beyond becoming a successful actor.

Her journey from Vadhandhi to Lubber Pandhu has established her as a performer to watch, while her experience assisting Mani Ratnam has given her an opportunity to work towards the filmmaking career she imagined as a child.

For now, she plans to continue acting and take her time choosing scripts.

But somewhere down the line, Sanjana wants to sit in the director’s chair.