Characters like Meera don’t come across often

Says Kriti Sanon as she talks about her role in ‘Dohchay’, Naga Chaitanya, Sudheer Varma and striking a balance between Bollywood and Tollywood

Unlike other heroines who rush to sign new projects after their maiden performance grabs enough eyeballs, Kriti Sanon decided otherwise. She played the waiting game and took up a script – ‘Dohchay’ – which had enough meat for her to give a nod. She says, “I didn’t come across anything interesting after ‘1: Nenokkadine’ released. When you are new to the industry, it is better you focus on one thing than take up two to three projects at a go and mess them up. Moreover, I believe your second film is as important as your first film.”

She continues, “My emphasis will always be on the script and character that I have to play. That’s what happened with ‘Dohchay’. It was youth-centric, fun and entertaining. Con dramas are something that our industries haven’t explored. When I heard the story, I was engrossed; every time I expected something to happen, it turned out to be opposite. The film will hook you to the edge-of-your-seat.”

The actress plays Meera, a medical student in the film. “She is least bothered about studies, is tomboyish, frank and very dominating. She is one of those students who jumps the college wall to catch movies. If she is not getting a seat in an auto, she sits next to the driver,” she smiles. “You don’t get to play such characters very often.”Is the character close to her real life? “I’m sweeter and more diplomatic than Meera. I have a tomboy angle to me too but I’m more feminine. Moreover, I was always a studious girl,” smiles the lissome actress.

Getting along with Naga Chaitanya happened straight away, she insists. “Since we are of the same age, it didn’t take long for us to get chatty. He never made me conscious of the fact that was a senior. I was always on my guard as he is a very spontaneous person.”Meeting the pace of director Sudheer Varma wasn’t an easy deal to seal for Kriti. “He was really fast. I was unfamiliar with his pace but with time I slowly got into his zone. If he okays a shot, he wouldn’t go for an extra safety shot in case of something going wrong.

This attitude of his freaked me out at times. I was like, ‘Are you sure it’s ok?’ And he was like, ‘If you are happy with it, I will retain it.’ The good part about him was that he never made me feel I was acting.”Moving forward, the actress who has prestigious Bollywood projects like Shah Rukh Khan-starrer ‘Dilwale’ and Shahid Kapoor-starrer ‘Farzi’ in her kitty, is keen to strike a balance between Bollywood and Tollywood. “I started off simultaneously in both the industries, receiving great love.

Tollywood, these days, is coming up with interesting scripts and as long as they excite me, I’m ready to balance both the industries.”Into her second year in the industry, the actress is yet to learn the language – though she can crack it when someone quizzes her in Telugu. “Thankfully I have a good memory and I don’t take too much time to mug up a dialogue,” she signs off.

By Nagaraj Goud