Hyderabad: Komal Jha, an engineer, never wanted to become an actor. It was during a visit to a shopping mall in Dubai, that she was spotted by a director and he offered her the Malayalam movie, 24 Hrs. And, suddenly her life took a complete turn.
After the Malayalam film, Komal shifted her base to Tollywood. Her recent release Maine Pyaar Kiya got good reviews and now she has bagged her first Bollywood project with T-series.
Talking about her Bollywood film, Komal says, “The movie, Mr MBA is a rom-com. The USP of the movie is its music, which is outstanding. I play the role of a responsible daughter, who needs to take care of her father and look after everything. The role is very different as I have never played the role of a traditional girl before.
“The movie’s lead actor Sahil Kohli, is the son of the general manager of T-Series. He too will be making his Bollywood debut with this film. The first shooting schedule is over and the movie will be ready to release by the year end,” she says.
Komal has done five Telugu movies, but says that the industry doesn’t give you the right exposure. “I had done a lot of good roles down South and delivered good performances, but never got recognised for them due to lack of promotion.
“The exposure in Tollywood is very limited. My role in the off-beat movie Chinna Cinema was appreciated by people in small cities too but it never got the recognition it deserved.”
Pointing out how Bollywood scores over Tollywood she says, “Bollywood gives you a lot of exposure, unlike Tollywood. A Telugu movie releases in one or may be two to three states.
“However, a Bollywood movie releases in all 29 states. More people recognise you and your work.”
Unhappy with the way her film career was shaping up, Komal had decided to go back to Dubai and work with a construction firm as a civil engineer when the Bollywood film came along.
“I had given up on the idea of continuing as an actress till I bagged a Bollywood film. I knew that the recognition that seven movies down south could not give me, could be got with a single successful Bollywood film,” says an enthusiastic Komal.
Wrapping up, she shared that she has given up on the thought of quitting acting and says that “I am here to stay and stay for long.”
