'ISHQ', starring Teja Sajja in the lead, will head to the theatres on July 30. In this interview, Priya Prakash Varrier talks about doing the romantic thriller, her future projects, how the pandemic has affected her, learning Telugu, and more.
It's the most unexpected movie that has happened to me. Usually, a movie takes months and several meetings before it's finalized for an actor. 'ISHQ' happened to me in two days. I had watched the Malayalam original, which I liked a lot.
The actress who portrayed her character in the original version did it in her own way. And I have portrayed the character in my own way in the remake. Director SS Raju told me to portray it as I wanted. He offered me the freedom to portray the character. Teja Sajja is a cool person. Before this movie, I had watched his 'Oh! Baby' and really liked it.
Malayalam movies are content-driven. In Telugu, the audience expect commercial elements such as songs. At the end of the day, it's entertainment, which is our responsibility. Both content and entertainment have to go hand in hand. We need a healthy mix. Tollywood has become my second home.
I want to experiment with genres. I want to do heroine-centric movies as well. 'ISHQ' is my proper Telugu debut, given that I will be there throughout the movie. In 'Check', my role was short-lived. Even when a film doesn't do well, there is some artistic satisfaction. Chandrasekhar Yeleti sir appreciated my acting.
'ISHQ' is not a conventional love story. It's something very relatable. The film has explored a commonplace issue. It's thrilling that way.
I have to entertain the Telugu audience now that I am getting offers here. I can follow Telugu. I know the basic vocabulary. Two more movies and I will be fluent in the language.
For me, the story comes first. The second thing would be my character. If the character doesn't contribute to the movie, then there is no point in doing it.
When I became the 'wink' celeb, I was still in college. My releases have got postponed due to the pandemic like it's the case with others. There was some confusion, I was afraid that people might forget me. But it's also true that there was a pause in everyone's life.
I graduated last year. Right before the first wave, I completed my graduation. I am concentrating fully on movies.
I recently went to Russia with friends. The family of a friend has been settled there. I had a great time there. Someone made a funny vlog out of my time with friends. It was edited selectively and without a proper context by some people and spread on social media.
I am committed to doing another Telugu movie, which will be made official soon. I have not accepted anything in Malayalam. I have been waiting for a strong story there. In Hindi, I have completed a movie. I try to keep a healthy balance between character roles and commercial ones.
