The rise of Keerthy Suresh as an actor has been inspiring, to say the least. Talk to her for a few minutes and you know she’s a true-blue actor. This October, she’ll complete a decade in the film industry - quite an achievement for someone who never wanted to be an actor! Having done around 30 films so far in various languages, she feels proud of her body of work.
“I am so proud and happy; on the first day of my first film, I never imagined I’d come this far, but it’s been a journey full of learning and enrichment,” Keerthy says. “I am ambitious now and want to do more work. I feel I have just started.”
Keerthy started her career with bubbly roles, and moved on to be part of commercial flicks before taking up author-backed roles like Mahanati. Later, she took up mature roles and then starred in female-centric films, going on to bag substantial parts in films like the upcoming Dasara. This metamorphosis was no accident. She says, “So I feel the transition has been great and I have learnt a lot during every phase of the process.”
Over the years, Keerthy has been feeling more responsible about giving good films. She says that while striving to stay true to herself, she has also tried her best to bring versatility to her performance. “There was a lot of self-discovery in the process,” she adds.
“Of-course I have changed a lot over the years,” says Keerthy “I feel I am learning every day. If I look back at some of the things I have done in the last five years, I feel I could have done them better and differently. That’s what you call a learning process.”
“You can only choose from what you get; so I picked up roles where I felt the audience would see a new me every time,” she explains, adding that she felt blessed that she has never been typecast.
Keerthy has always been a surprise package for audiences. She feels her role as Vennela in Dasara, starring Nani, is something to watch out for. While she has played rustic women in Tamil films, she finds it exciting to do such a role for the first time in Telugu.
“The film is set in the Singareni coal mines near Godavarikhani. So cracking the rural Telangana accent was challenging. When the director gave me a four-hour narration, I did not even understand the slang,” she recalls, adding that she had to bring in a translator and have it explained all over again.
Director Srikanth Odela had asked her to reduce 12 kg in weight. “I was shocked and said, ‘Sir, I am doing a few films in parallel, so my continuity of looks may drastically affect those films. I can shed around 3 kilos.’ At the end of the entire shooting, I pointed out that I had not reduced as much weight as he wanted. But he said, ‘Oh I totally forgot that aspect. But you looked very authentic nevertheless.’ So that was a great validation for me,” she reminiscences.
She credits her actor-parents, Menaka and Suresh Kumar, her guru and others close to her for pushing her to aim for excellence. “And of course, myself too,” she quips.
The actress often posts photos of her travels on social media. “Yes, I like travelling,” she beams. These days, actors have to travel a lot, thanks to their work in multiple industries. “Travelling became my stress buster, but not consciously.”
Despite their best efforts, every Friday is a litmus test for actors, and they also have to face trolls and criticism. Keerthy says she doesn’t let the trolls get into her head. “I am happy that I am being talked about, good or bad,” she smiles, adding that the trolls are actually helping her remain in the limelight. “You can’t impress everyone in the world, can you?” she asks.
A couple of years ago, Keerthy came close to making her debut in Hindi with the film Maidan, starring Ajay Devgn. But ultimately, she was not part of the film. We were curious about what transpired. “I think certain aspects did not fit into my scheme of things, certain things did not materialise,” was all she would say.
She has pulled off some stunning roles in these ten years, so we ask Keerthy how she wants to be remembered. "Mahanati," comes the prompt response. “But I am also hoping my character Vennela in Dasara will be memorable.”
