Marquee Queen

Anushka Shetty

Anushka Shetty, a leading star in Telugu cinema is a statuesque presence on the sets of the much-talked about film, Baahubali helmed by S. S Rajamouli. She plays the pivotal role of the queen opposite leading man Prabhas in the film and also shares screen space with Rana Dagubatti and Tamannaah Bhatia among others. Her character’s journey in the film is a dramatic one, a challenge for an actor, she admits, without giving away too much. So when she was offered the role by Rajamouli, it was a no-brainer. “The opportunity to work with Rajamouli was too good to pass up and then again Baahubali is an amazing drama with each character having different shades. It’s very different from what I have done so far,” she explains. Dressed in a simple sari with some prosthetic glued to her face to make her appear aged for an older version of her character, Shetty is a far cry from the quintessential vain leading lady that one would expect.
We are in Hyderabad’s Ramoji Film City, there is no vanity van in sight, and Shetty is seated under the shade of a tree, chatting amicably with the producer, and the director’s wife.
From all acoounts, one has heard, this once-upon a time yoga student at practitioner Bharat Thakur’s institute, has shaped into quite a formidable acting talent over the years. It is no surprise then that Rajamouli was keen to cast her in this ambitious drama touted to be India’s most expensive film of 2015. Her ability to perform besides her impressive height, according to the director, made her the perfect fit for this role.
On her part, Shetty describes herself as a director’s actor and therefore being a part of Rajamouli’s film was a dream come true. They have collaborated earlier too, and this is her third film with him. And she’s certainly not complaining.
“Rajamouli’s way of telling a story, the way he presents each character, his eye for detail makes the experience very special for an actor. He knows how to extract a performance,” she explains.
Since her debut in Puri Jagganath’s Super, opposite superstar Nagarjuna, she has certainly come a long way. Having been a part of some superhits like Singam, Singam 2 among others, she continues her successful run, what with Lingaa, a film opposite Rajinikant and Rudrama Devi (a historical about a queen who ruled in the 13th century), both in the offing. Reportedly both required her to enroll for sword fighting classes, something which she gamely signed up for.
“Rudrama Devi is like watching history on screen. And in Lingaa there is also Sonakshi Sinha. While she plays the past interest, I play the present one.”
On her wonderful journey in the world of cinema, Shetty explains, “I never grew up watching films, and on this film, I even got the opportunity to work with amazing technicians, make-up artistes, and graphics designers among others, which is a huge learning experience by itself. Baahubali has a very intense screenplay along with a grand scale.”
And although her contemporaries have crossed over to Bollywood, she is in no particular hurry to do so. Singham, (the Hindi version) even though, she starred in the original, did not work out for her, but after establishing herself as an actor in Telugu and Tamil films, she would rather pick up meaningful work.
“Certain Hindi scripts have come to me, but nothing very different. When I started (acting), I was clueless about make-up and camera angles but now I can see it from a different point of view I can contribute. With every film, I hope to do something different. I don’t want to do a Hindi film just for the sake of doing it.”
Well said.