GenY filmmakers break lot of stereotypes: Madhu Shalini

Madhu Shalini from Tollywood is one talented actress who seems in no hurry to add numbers to her kitty, despite touching a milestone - a decade in the cinema industry. With just two dozen films to her credit, the bubbly actress, who is a popular face in Tamil with films like Bala's Avan Ivan and Kamal's Thoongavanam, returns to K'town with a solid role in a film titled Pancharaaksharam. In an exclusive, Madhu, who is in the city to promote Pancha…..speaks to DC about her bold role as a journalist in the movie, the reasons for her long absence from K'town, and her upcoming period fictional drama in Hindi, a prequel to Baahubali, which also marks the svelte beauty's digital debut.

First things first!  People expected that your career would start rolling in Tamil after Avan Ivan, but you vanished from the scene totally.

“I did get lot of offers post AI. But they were similar to the rural girl I did in the film and I feared I might be typecast. So, I turned down most of them. However, I kept myself busy in other languages. There are things I don't understand - when I meet directors at random places, they  say, 'We wanted to approach you for this role, but we thought you would be busy'; When I'm here, they say, 'you have to be more visible'; when I am away, they say 'It's OK. Your films speak for you'. It's all really puzzling.

Finally, I settled on one thing -- I am an actor!

Right now I am in the process of enjoying all kinds of cinemas from all the languages (laughs).”

Nevertheless, the actress asserts that she makes the correct choices. “Pancharaaksharam revolves around five individuals, whose characters are modelled on the different elements of nature. I play Sameera, a strong-willed and independent journalist. I represent Air. She is very impulsive. She doesn't think and ponder over things. The story starts from the day I quit my job.”

Heaping praise on the debut director of Pancha....she says, “It is not a film where each of us contributes to the same plot. We have different sub-plots going in distinctive narration. It is very challenging script. It was a bit difficult to understand the story in one narration from director Balaji. I came down to Chennai and stayed here for a couple of days. We even had workshops. As an actor, though I have worked with many filmmakers, working with the GenY guys was a new experience. In a sense, their approach to cinema is not very conventional. They are young blood; they don't follow typical structured formulaic cinema. They break a lot of stereotypes.”

Talk about her debut web series in Hindi, and her eyes glow. “Yes, it's a very big project, which is a period fictional drama. Bankrolled by Arka Media, it is a prequel to Baahubali, but nothing to do with it or the actors in the sequels. I portray a warrior princess. It is a very serious role. It is pretty challenging because, I am used to one kind of filmmaking and working style. There's a lot of attention to detail, and plenty of action sequences. As of now we are concentrating ontalkie portions shot in grand sets erected for this purpose at Ramoji Rao Film City and Thailand. The story is scripted by Vijayendra Prasad and is adapted from the book Rise of Sivagami. Praveen Sattaru and Devagatta direct the film. I am excited and looking forward to it.”

Despite the fact that there are umpteen biopics in the offing on the late Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu,J. Jayalalithaa, Madhu would love to reprise 'Amma' if given an opportunity to do so. “Personally, Jayalaithaa ji is my first choice. I would like to put on weight to look like Jaya ji. She is one lady who has inspired me in many ways. She was a strong person, and her transition from cinema to politics was amazing.”

Madhu'sfuture flicks include Goodachari 2 in Telugu, Ranger with Sibiraj in Tamil, and a Hindi flick.