Zitat des Tages über Telugu:
I find the working pattern to be the same in Bollywood as well as Tollywood. Especially because most directors of photography from the Telugu industry operate in Bollywood, too.
I joined the Madras Christian College but dropped out after three months. Telugu music director Ramesh Naidu asked me to assist him, and I did so for over a year. I did think of rejoining college, but by then, I was discovering the musician in me. I worked with Illaya Raja and Raj Koti and soon shifted to commercials. This led to movie offers.
Just like how you find players from different backgrounds in Indian cricket team, our Telugu industry is looking for talent, and it doesn't matter where it comes from.
I have lot of respect of filmmakers who work in Telugu and Tamil.
Telugu audiences love cinema. They won't let a good film down, and they've proved this with the way they accepted 'Srimanthudu.'
A lot of people tell me, 'You are from North; how do you manage to get along in the South?' I don't know what to say to them. I've always felt at home here, and by learning to speak Telugu, my connection with the place has gotten that much stronger.
Of course, I will continue acting. I just need to dispel the Telugu and Tamil cinema's insecurities about married actresses. I don't know about others. But I am not going anywhere after marriage.
I just can't stop doing Telugu films just when I have started speaking a little better Telugu.
I usually mug up my Telugu dialogues much before going to the sets every day.
I am trying my best to strike a balance. How many hours a day can I work? I work for 12-15 hours a day; it gets very strenuous. I balance between Telugu, Tamil, and Hindi.
I must tell you that Telugu film industry is one of the most comfortable places I found a woman can be. They do make a lot of mass films, but from my experience as an actor, I can tell you that people are very nice and welcoming. In fact, it's slightly more difficult in other places.
I have an impeccable memory, and I can learn dialogues in any language in 20 minutes, including Telugu and Malayalam.
I was eight years old when I was offered a film. And before I knew it, I was acting in Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu movies.
The fact that I have done films down South didn't boost or hamper my chances here. In fact, I was still shooting for both my Telugu films when I met Ashu sir for 'Mohenjo Daro.' During the audition, he gave me five scenes with lengthy dialogues. Once I cleared them, he gave me a song to dance to. So, my Bollywood entry was no cakewalk.
I so wish my dad was alive to see me do a Hindi film after acting in six Telugu movies. I sometimes imagine him giving me feedback on my work. But I derive strength from knowing he is watching over me.
I prefer the Telugu film industry, as women are respected more than they are in the Tamil film industry. In Tamil cinema, they care only about their hero, who is God.
Luckily, neither in my Tamil nor in my Telugu movies do I have roles that require exaggerated emoting.
I can speak Tamil fluently, and the sentence structures in Telugu are quite similar.
Telugu-Tamil producer Thyagarajan has bought the South Indian language rights for two Hindi hit films, Vikas Behl's 'Queen' and Neeraj Pandey's 'Special 26.' He wants me to play Akshay Kumar's role in the Telugu version of 'Special 26.' Akshay and I even look similar, physique-wise.
One day, I went to meet a film producer and entered the wrong flat. It was a casting agency, and they suggested that I audition for a four-hero Telugu film. I was confirmed a month later. Interestingly, it's not easy down South for a newcomer to bag positive roles, but I was adamant.
I was born and brought up in Chennai, as the entire Telugu film industry was based there.
I was shooting for a Telugu film at the Taj Mahal in Agra, and there were all these women and children pointing and screaming, 'Rowdy Rathore.' But I am not really 'Rowdy Rathore.' I am the guy who did the original version of 'Rowdy Rathore' six years ago.
I'm quite fluent in Telugu now, but there's a difference between talking and dubbing. While dubbing, the diction must be in sync with the emotion in the scene and would impact my performance.
I've learnt that there's absolutely no difference in Telugu and Hindi industries. Everything is almost identical. The only difference is that Hindi films have a wider release.