'That wound still lingers in my heart'; anchor Meera opens up about distressing incident with prominent actor

Meera Anil is a television anchor who is popular among the Malayali audience. She had earlier said that she comes from a family with no artistic background and that the reality show Comedy Stars was a turning point in her career. In a recent interview given to a YouTube channel, Meera opened up about some rejections and painful experiences she faced in her early years. She revealed that a distressing incident with a well-known Malayalam actor still haunts her and remains etched in her memory like an unhealed wound.

"I entered the world of anchoring after seeing Ranjini Haridas. I've made several crucial decisions. I'm just an ordinary Malayali woman but I believe my work has the power to influence many people. Anyone can become a good anchor if he/she can speak confidently to the public. Today's generation knows exactly what they want. No one in my family has any background in cinema. It was Comedy Stars that completely changed my career.

I didn’t start out as the main anchor in that show. My job was only to introduce the contestants. They wouldn’t even shoot me near the stage. Many people would make fun of me, calling me names like ‘Adichuthalikkari Janu’ (a derogatory nickname). Even though I did many things sincerely, I still faced cyber attacks. During the promotional event for the film Aadujeevitham, where I was the anchor, I faced severe backlash for asking Mohanlal a question that some felt was inappropriate.

I had faced rejection in many places during my childhood. One such painful experience came from an actor named Jagannathan. He used to teach Kathakali music and light music. My father wanted me to learn light music, so we went to him with great hope. He asked me to sing, but before I could finish, he interrupted and told me I had a terrible voice. My father consoled me that day, but ever since, even though I've appeared on many stages as an anchor, I've never sung a single song on stage. Maybe that wound still lingers in my heart. He could have said it more sensitively, perhaps privately to my father. No child should be treated that way," Meera said.