Tollywood town’s lucky charm

Hamsa Nandini is the lucky charm for Tollywood filmmakers these days. Most movies that she has featured in, like Eega, Mirchi and Atharintiki Daredi, have gone on to become blockbusters.

Not surprisingly then, directors are making a beeline to sign her up, even if only for cameos. Her latest is a song with Balakrishna in the upcoming film Legend.

When asked about Tollywood considering her as a lucky charm, she says, “I appreciate it and it’s a nice feeling. I thoroughly enjoyed doing these songs and also the response and attention that I get for the five minute cameos is amazing. The audience wants to see me more in these songs and it works for me,” she adds.

Meanwhile, she is ready for other characters too. Talking about the second lead she is playing in the historical film Rudramadevi, Hamsa says, “The character has a lot to perform, but there is a lot of physical stress. The costumes are beautiful and amazing. It takes two to three hours to complete the make up with the costumes and hairstyle,” she says.

And while she wants to do more challenging roles, Hamsa wants to stay away from the regular girl next door kind of roles. “Those characters do not suit me and my personality. In many Telugu films these days the female leads do not get much importance and I don’t want to do them. Even if it’s a cameo, I want to make some difference. In Eega I was there for a few minutes, but the audience didn’t miss me in the film. Basically it’s the content of the role that matters, not the length,” she says.

She is also ready for de-glamourised roles. “If you put me in a cotton sari without much make up, you can see my de-glamourised side. I am ready to take up those kinds of challenging roles,” she says, adding that she, however, is choosy about her films.

Talking about her recent shoot with Balakrishna, Hamsa says, “We shot for seven days. This is the longest that I have shot for a song.” Adding, “They erected a big set and I had never seen anything like it. It’s a wedding kind of set up in a village.”

She adds that she was surprised by  Balakrishna’s energy level. “Sometimes I struggled to match up with his dance movements,” she says.