Actresses game for newbies
In what was believed to be a male-dominated industry, Tollywood's leading ladies are now calling the shots.
Looks like there’s been a change of guard in T’wood. In an interesting trend, most of the leading ladies in tinsel town, after romancing superstars in many of their former films, are now romancing new actors, who command a smaller market than their experienced counterparts.
Take for example Rakul Preet Singh, who is paired opposite budding actor Sai Srinivas Bellamkonda in Jaya Janaki Nayaka, directed by Boyapati Srinu. The actress is of the view that one should look at the role and the story at large.
“I guess there’s a misconception that once you do a film opposite a superstar, you shouldn’t work opposite budding actors. In Bollywood, Deepika Padukone and Anushka Sharma do films opposite superstars like Shah Rukh Khan and opposite newcomers too. So I think we should not prioritise the level of stardom of co-stars,” says Rakul.
Samantha Ruth Prabhu, who was paired opposite Nithiin in A...Aa, feels that a film’s story is the most important part. “I first look at the director and the script and that’s how it has been throughout my career. Star power might ensure good openings, but at the end of the day, it’s the content that drives the film. One of the main reasons I took up the project was because the role gave me an opportunity to try comedy, which I have never done before,” explains Samantha.
Shruti Haasan raised eyebrows when she played Naga Chaitanya’s love interest in Premam’s Telugu remake. “The concept of a love story between a student and a teacher was fresh. I didn’t play a 40-year-old; I played a young lecturer, so it was an ideal role,” she says.
Kajal Aggarwal will also be seen romancing Nandamuri Kalyan Ram in Manchi Lakshanalunna Abbayi or MLA. The director, Upendra Madhav, admits that since Kajal commands a sizeable market, he roped her in for the film. “One of the main reasons we chose Kajal was because of her fame and reach. However, Kajal got hooked by the role as soon as I narrated the script. So if stars love the roles, they are game to do even a cameo,” explains Upendra, adding that the casting process is directly proportional to the demand of the script. “We pick actors based on the roles and their compatibility with that character,” he explains.
Interestingly, Nara Rohit’s upcoming crime thriller Veera Bhoga Vasantharayulu stars Shriya Saran as the leading lady. Prod Rohit about being paired opposite her and he says, “In a screenplay-driven film, all are just characters and the story is the star. The film does not have a typical hero-heroine story; it’s an anthology with three stories being told simultaneously.”
In concurrence with Rohit’s words, when asked whether he’s apprehensive about Tamannaah hogging all the limelight, actor Sundeep Kishan says, “I have no apprehensions at all! For love stories, it is very important to perform well as a combination. Our chemistry has worked out well. She’s a fabulous co-star. Keeping aside the fact that she’s been around longer than me, we are of the same age group and have hit it off pretty well.”
While it’s good that women actors are changing the face of the entertainment industry, it’s a delight that the content of a film is being given importance. It wouldn’t then be wrong to say that we are entering a golden period in filmmaking where the subject, the actor and the actress are all weighed equally.