Sri Divya: two states in her kitty

Chennai: The influx of actresses from other states who make it big in Kollywood dates back a long time. Be it the gorgeous, lanky divas from the north or the charming, homely beauties from the neighbouring states, all they crave for is to become a name to reckon with and earn a coveted position in the audience’s heart by reprising meaty, memorable roles. Actress Sri Divya, who hails from Andhra Pradesh, is no different. The pretty damsel, who is blessed with the quintessential girl-next-door looks, implied through Varuthapadatha Valibar Sangham, her debut vehicle in K’town, that she is here to stay for a long innings. Sri Divya, the soft-spoken girl, is now on cloud nine, with five films in her kitty, all alongside the younger breed of heroes — and this is quite apart from the offers from Tollywood with which she has been flooded.

Pencil, opposite G.V. Prakash Kumar, Eetti opposite Atharvaa, Tana opposite Sivakarthikeyan, Jeeva opposite Vishnu and an untitled flick opposite Vikram Prabhu, are her upcoming movies on which she has pinned high hopes. She opens up on her acting career which kicked off in Tollywood at the age of three, her journey so far in Kollywood, future plans, her favourites in the film industry and more in a chat with DC.
Among the five films that Sri Divya has in Tamil, she plays a college girl in two, Eetti and Jeeva, and a school girl in Pencil. She asserts that the characters in these films aren’t similar or the run-of-the-mill kind, but different in terms of characterisation, attitude, costume and look. “The audience will notice this once the films release. While Eetti has me playing a girl from a middle class family, I essay a reserved lass in Jeeva, which has a story in the backdrop of cricket. I’m a nurse in Tana and enact a bold girl in the untitled flick.”

Mostly though, she has been cast as the typical village belle. Was this a conscious decision of hers? “I have been approached mostly for homely roles,” she says. “I don’t want to repeat what I have done earlier. But dancing around trees is not my cup of tea and I don’t hesitate to reject such offers even if it is for a top hero’s movie. Story, significance of my role, hero and director are the criteria based on which I sign up for a film. If I’m convinced about my role, I don’t mind teaming up with a debut director. This was one reason why I okayed Pencil. The character in it is different from others I have played so far. I play a partly tomboyish, clever girl in a thriller movie.”

Sri Divya was called for an audition after she appeared in some Telugu serials and films. She was asked to utter a dialogue in Tamil and the makers felt that she was apt for the role, after which Varuthapadatha Valibar Sangham happened.

She would like to be associated with directors like Mani Ratnam and Gautham Menon and Tollywood director Viswanath. She says she has been a huge fan of films, such as Mounaragam, Alaipayuthey, Vaaaranam Ayiram, Enthiran, and others, whose characters she finds haunting while her role models are Aishwarya Rai, Soundarya, Revathy and Jayasudha. Her list of favourite actors includes all, right from Rajini to Dhanush, but she does have a special liking for Suriya whom she hopes to be paired with. Mahesh Babu is another star whom she is very fond of, and quips that she would adjust the dates if offered movies along with both these charming heroes.

So was she open to glamorous roles? “No. Come what may, I’m averse to such roles,” she responds. “For every movie of mine, I listen to scripts and ensure that such scenes aren’t there nor have I been approached for such roles till date.”

Sri Divya avers that she hardly finds any difference in the working style of the Tamil and Telugu industries. However, she admits having trouble with the language initially, a problem she has resolved herself. The pretty girl also points out that she has plans to dub in her own voice for Pencil and Jeeva.

Sri Divya, who is pursuing a B.A in Public Administration and Politics, confesses that she is reticent by nature and that she isn’t good when it comes to keeping up contact with those in the industry. She says, “Though I enjoy working with everyone on the sets and revel in the experiences, I limit my friendship to my mother, and sister, who is also an actress. While the former is my backbone and I’m nothing without her support, the latter is my guide and best pal.”

Returning to the heroes with whom she has worked, who according to her are different in their own ways, she says, “Sivakarthikeyan is extremely talented and a big prankster on the sets. It’s difficult to match his efficiency level before the camera. I should thank him for helping me better my dialogue delivery. Vishnu is soft and gets into the shoes of the character with ease. I was a fan of G. V. Prakash Kumar’s songs even before sharing screen space with him and was thrilled to be paired opposite him. Vikram Prabhu is down-to-earth and caring. I had only two days of shooting with Atharvaa and couldn’t interact much,” she says.

Sri Divya affirms that language is not her priority in choosing films and that she is game for a career in Bollywood too. She is hopeful of pulling off roles with élan sans skin show, citing movies like Barfi and Queen as successful films. Similarly, she says, offers from other industries in the south, other than Tamil and Telugu, can wait as she doesn’t want to confuse herself.