In her upcoming film ‘Anasuya’, a Flying Frogs production being directed by Ravi Babu, actress Bhoomika Chawla, now Bhoomika Thakur, will be seen portraying the role of an Investigative journalist. With the film ready to be released on the 21st of this month, the petite actress talks about her experiences during the making of this film and about her latest passion.
Q: What is Anasuya all about?
A: Anasuya is basically a thriller with an exciting mix of emotions and action. At no point in the film will the audience get bored. It is a very fast paced entertainer. I am very thankful to director Ravi Babu for giving me an opportunity to essay such a challenging role.
Q: How is your role in this film different from your previous films?
A: Though I have portrayed varied characters in my films so far this is the first time that I am portraying the role of an investigating journalist. That profession demands a lot of courage and dedication. It was an absolute pleasure and very satisfying while shooting for this film and character. While doing this film I developed a better understanding of how the media works and what kind of experiences the journalists undergo.
Q: How was it working with director Ravi Babu?
A: Ravi Babu is a fantastic director. He has an amazing command over every frame of the film and film making. He is very clear about what he wants from his actors and can even extract that from them. It was a wonderful experience working under his direction.
Q: But his previous films did not measure up to the audiences’ expectations.
A: See. In our industry success changes every Friday. If the audiences are able to identify with what the director is portraying in the film then his film will be successful if not it is a failure. But that does not mean that the director is not credible enough. Now, just because a film like Saawariya bombed at the box office you cannot say that director Sanjay Leela Bhansali is not a credible director. His previous films have been both critically acclaimed as well as hits. Praising success and criticizing failure is the way of the world. As for me? I liked my character and the way director Ravi Babu handled the script. What the final verdict will be is not something that I am worried about.
Q: But your previous film ‘Satyabhama’ also did not fare well.
A: In my view film making is like a game. More of a team work. The director, producer, actors and other technicians are part of this interesting game. Just like in a game, when any member of the team falters the results are not very positive. The same happens in film making. And as far as ‘Satyabhama’ is concerned? I don’t consider it a failure. It is a good movie and its box office results will not change my view of what a good movie is.
Q: You seem to be doing a lot of low budget films off late. Any specific reason for doing so?
A: Nothing like that. I look for the script. If any film is giving me an opportunity to showcase my acting skills I would go for it. But not all the scripts that one comes across are of that kind. Some times you do films for the money and some times for the script. I have been lucky so far to have had the best of both. My roles in Misamma, Satyabhama and now Anasuya were performance oriented and gave me lot of job satisfaction.
Q: You said that Anasuya has a lot of action in it?
A: Oh yes. Anasuya has a healthy dose of action sequences. I have always been quite reluctant when it comes to being part of any action scenes. But then I had to come over all my fears and work hard for this film.
Q: So are you planning to settle down in the Telugu Film Industry?
A: Actually it is difficult for me to settle down in any particular place for a long time. I am more like a free bird and would like to go from one place to the other. May be I have this tendency because I come from a navy family (laughs...). But honestly, I am more comfortable here than I am in Bollywood. And I am not saying that for courtesy sake. I like the people, the atmosphere and the professionalism over here. Who knows? I just might settle down in Hyderabad in the future.
Q: So how far have to come in learning Telugu?
A: Only a little actually. The thing is that when ever I get serious about learning Telugu I get a offer for a Hindi film and move over there. By the time I finish with that film I forget whatever Telugu I learnt. Most of my time is just spent in moving from one place to the other. But now I am serious about learning the language and hopefully will do so this time round.
Q: Most heroines either quit the industry or stop getting offers post marriage. What about you?
A: I am happily married and have no plans of quitting the film industry either. Acting is my job and I don’t see any reason to link it with my married life. It’s been only two months since my marriage so I cannot say about what future effects my marriage will have on my career.
Q: What are your next projects?
A: Anasuya is ready for release on the coming 21st. Then in January my film ‘Swagatham’ with Jagapathi Babu is releasing. I am presently shooting for a Hindi film being directed by E.Niwas. The film will be ready for release by the end of February next year. It is suspense thriller and I am playing dual roles in the movie.
Q: Is it true that you are into poetry now days?
A: Yes. I love poetry. Right now I have written only about 16-17 off them. But once I write about a 100 of them I want to ask Javed Akthar to select the best of them. And then I will get those selected poems published. I would also like to get them translated into English and Telugu. I have recently learnt about the literary works of famous Telugu writer Chalam. I was so inspired by them that I wanted to get them published in English for release in the US. We have already contacted TIMES magazine in this regard and are awaiting the results.
