Priyanka Chopra, who topped the Bollywood industry by carving a niche for herself with several awards winning performances is now stepping into Tollywood industry for the first time with 'Thoofan' costarring with Ram Charan. 'Thoofan' directed by Apoorva Lakhia is the Telugu version of Bollywood flick 'Zanjeer' which is again a remake of Big B's 1973 blockbuster movie 'Zanjeer'. On the eve of the film releasing on September 6th, the actress took some time out to give an interview to the media personnel. Here are few excerpts from her interview.
Hi Priyanka, how are you?
Yeah Good…
So you are finally stepping into Tollywood with Thoofan. How are you feeling?
Yeah, I’m very happy. I’ve been thinking to do a film in Telugu since long. But as I was busy in Bollywood I couldn’t make it to Tollywood. Now I’m happy to get introduced to the Telugu audience with a high voltage action drama like ‘Thoofan’.
Your role in ‘Thoofan’ was originally played by Jaya Bachchan. What kind of changes did director Apoorva Lakhia made in it?
I want share a small thing with you all. I’m whole heartedly thanking Jaya Bachchan ji through this film. Jaya Bachchan ji played a street girl called ‘Chaaku Choori Vaali’ in ‘Zanjeer’. Whereas my character’s name in ‘Thoofan’ is Mala and it appears totally fresh. She hails from New York city and comes to India to attend a wedding. My first scene is few rowdies will chase me with a knife because I witness a murder. In the process Mala will meet ACP Vijay (Ram Charan) to tell him that she is the witness of the murder. There onwards her role will continue in India till the end of the film.
How did you manage to give the lip movement for Telugu dialogues in ‘Thoofan’?
I truly felt it difficult in that as my character is a talkative. Hindi dialogues were fine with me but the Telugu dialogues are too big. But I took it as a challenge since it was a tough task. Infact Ram too helped me while I was doing the rehearsals. I really thank him a lot.
So you are giving an entry in Tollywood with Mega Power Star Ram Charan, who has a huge mass image in Telugu.
Ram Charan is a very good costar. He is an artist with very good attitude and dedicated to work. He is not only an artist but dances superbly. He is sure to get his first success in Bollywood. I’m very impressed with his performance in the role of ACP Vijay. His dialogue modulation is excellent. Ram Charan is one of those actors who has fire in him.
Tell us a little about director Apoorva Lakhia’s working style?
He is a fantastic director and known for his perfection. He has clarity in everything. One can understand his daring nature going by his choice of remaking Amitabh’s ‘Zanjeer’. At the same time he never copied the film from frame to frame. He took the basic plot and changed the script as per today’s situations in the society and made it into a high voltage action entertainer. He never compromised anywhere. Everyone will start discussion about Apoorva after watching this film.
What is your opinion on ‘Thoofan’ audio?
This is the best audio in recent times. As far as I’m concerned I’m thoroughly enjoying my ‘Pinky’ song.
Ok, what’s you final say about ‘Thoofan’?
‘Thoofan’ is a remake of a superb movie ‘Zanjeer’. Apoorva Lakhia’s direction, Ram Charan’s performance and dances of course and my glamour along with Srihari, Tanikella Bharani and Prakash Raj’s performances are the highlights of the film. So I believe that ‘Thoofan’ will entertain all with so many highlights on September 6th.
