Hyderabad: Her first film, Madras, with Karthi is yet to hit the screens, but Tollywood girl, Catherine Tresa, seems to be one of the most wanted girls in K’town. The pretty actress has bagged a Tamil film, Kanithan, where she teams up with the young Atharva Murali. Actress who started with a Kannada film and then shifted gears to Malayalam and did a film with Prithiviraj, later found her calling in Telugu and was noticed in Puri Jagannadh’s Iddarammayilatho. She seems to have come full circle in the south Indian movie industry. The actress speaks to DC exclusively about her role in Madras, how she goes about choosing her scripts, undeterred by the fear of being typecast, and her future films.
On her character in Madras she says, “I essay a north Madras girl who is bold. She looks simple, yet she is assertive. Working in the movie, on actual locations, observing the people of north Chennai, gave me a new perspective on life. This film will definitely make an impact.”
The actress says that she did her bit of homework before getting into the actual act. “Director Ranjith had arranged for a workshop for us to get the right north Chennai dialect and body language,” she adds.
Apparently, it is not a glamarous role. “Though there’s no makeup, Kalaiarasi is a beautiful girl. The characterisation itself is so charming that you cannot call it a deglamourised role. It gave me scope to explore my potential.” She quickly adds, “In fact, I play a modern girl who is full of energy in Kanithan. My looks are totally in contrast to Madras. So, where comes the question of typecast? I am happy that I am getting diverse roles so what more can I ask for?”
Heaping praise on co-star Karthi, she says, “What I admire in him is his level of dedication. I learnt a lot watching him perform. He is warm and down-to-earth.”
Catherine will also be seen as Princess Anamika Devi in the much anticipated Tamil-Telugu period film, Rudhramadevi. “After watching my performance in Iddarammayilatho, I got a call from director Gunashekar’s office for Rudhramadevi.
It’s an awesome role. I think each role requires effort,” she says.
