Link up with co-stars is part of my profession, says Anushka

It’s become a routine affair for many to link me to my co-stars. It doesn’t affect me these days! I just take it as a professional hazard,” remarked Anushka Shetty with a smile when DC asked her about the reported linkup with actor Arya. The actress, who is rarely seen at filmy functions, was in the city recently to unveil the exclusive ‘Rudhramadevi jewellery collections’, which she wears in the 3D period film. She portrays queen Rudrama Devi belonging to the Kakatiya dynasty in the film.

Created by top Bollywood designers Neeta Lulla and our very own Thotta Tharani, Anushka will be seen sporting exquisite jewellery in the flick. Ace director Gunashekar was also present at the launch of the collection at NAC Jewellers to share more details about the flick and also give out interesting behind-the-scene stories.

The actress said that though in real life she is not fond of jewellery, she has developed a liking for them after working in Rudhramadevi. “I don’t have the habit of wearing ornaments. Now, I have actually started noticing these exquisite designs. People ask me how difficult it was to work with such heavy accessories, weighing upto 15 kilos. Unlike Baahubali, which is a fictitious folklore, Rudhramadevi is a real life tale of a queen who lived in the 13th century. The pain she had undergone and the compassion she had for her people amazed me. I feel proud to have worked in the film and the strains of wearing period costumes, heavy ornaments and learning to ride a horse and an elephant were all worth it,” she shared. Anushka added that she became very friendly with an elephant named Lakshmi during the shoot and bonded well with her.

On being asked about how she prepared for the challenging role, she said, “I just followed the vision of Gunashekar garu who had done extensive research on the subject and knew exactly what he wanted.”

She is often referred to as the ‘Lady Superstar’. When we asked her about the same, she replied, “I can’t accept that! I want people to simply call me Sweety or Anushka. There are superstars around us who have achieved so much in their career. I am not even five percent of that. I have a long way to go.”

The Arundhati star admitted that she is a huge fan of Maestro Ilaiyaraaja who scored the music for Rudhramadevi. “I am a great admirer of Raja sir’s songs and I never miss listening to any of his albums,” she said.

Would she like to settle down in life? She flashed her beautiful smile and replied, “Even I want to settle down in life! But every film of mine takes two to three years to complete. With films like Singham 3, Inji Idhuppazhagi and Baahubali — The conclusion in my kitty, I can’t think of getting hitched any time soon (laughs).”