Now, with cinema going beyond regional boundaries and rooted stories being the latest fad, there’s a sudden influx of Telugu girls bursting onto the scene. The likes of Sreeleela, Kavya Kalyanram and Vaishnavi Chaitanya are proof that the trend now is Telugu girls gaining prominence. These actresses are part of all the recent biggest hits of Tollywood – Dhamaka, Balagam and Baby.
Perseverance pays off
Vaishnavi Chaitanya has become a rage among the youth with her latest film Baby, which released last week. The Sai Rajesh directorial featured her in the leading lady role. And the Hyderabadi actress stunned everyone with her layered performance. “I am proud to defy all odds! People say that it’s hard for Telugu girls to shine in cinema, but there’s nothing like that. Everyone will get opportunities, it requires hard work and perseverance,” comments Vaishnavi.
Vaishnavi started off with short videos and then became popular as an influencer. She acted in blink-and-miss roles in films until Baby happened. “There was even a point where I felt that it’s very difficult to crack films. I have faced rejections at several auditions and I didn’t know how to proceed because honestly rejections were very disheartening. But I decided to take rejection in my stride and realised that working hard and moving on is the only way forward,” shares the actress, who is thrilled that Baby is a runaway success at the ticket window.
Sreeleela is sought after
What would you call an actress who has 7 films lined up — all films with star heroes? Sreeleela is the latest toast in tinsel town! An accidental actor, Sreeleela is being hailed for her impulsiveness. And she ascribes that facet of her to being trained classical dancer (bharatanatyam).
“I think my dance was instrumental in bringing out my expressive side,” comments Sreeleela who was born to Telugu parents in the US and later moved to Bengaluru.
She says films are a perfect industry for anyone who wants to shine in creative space. Having bagged several happening films, the actress says she’s fortunate the audience have accepted her quickly. “It is also challenging to ensure you don’t get repetitive. I need to be careful as people will be watching every move of mine. I need to be more vigilant. I am slowly understanding the dynamics of the industry,” the actress comments.
A welcome trend
Telugu actresses calling the shots, signifies a welcome trend. Director Sai Rajesh who cast Vaishnavi in Baby says, “The leading lady role has to be high on expression, emotion and diction. I felt a Telugu girl can do justice to the part,” he says. He further adds that many filmmakers suffer from ‘inferiority complex’ if they cast a Telugu girl. “But remember once the audience enters theatres they only look at characters and not the actor’s background. We as filmmakers too should work towards inviting more actresses from Telugu land,” the director elaborates.
‘Never had apprehensions’
Kavya Kalyanram was a lawyer by profession! Born in Telangana, she says that getting into showbiz was an impulsive decision. And she never had any inhibitions that actresses from Telugu land won’t be casted. She further says that she doesn’t know whether it (Telugu actresses in films) is a trend, but looks like a ‘demand and supply’ thing.
“Filmmakers look at casting good talent and if the actresses can understand the language it’ll be an added advantage. In my last two films Balagam and Masooda, the leading lady should speak Telugu. So the character suited me,” Kavya explains, adding, there are several Telugu actors who performed well in other languages. She further says some filmmakers are conscious that they want actors to dub for themselves, so knowing the language is an advantage.
