I’m a more confident actor now: Ritu Varma

Ever since the trailer of ‘#Pellichoopulu’ released, the anticipation surrounding the romedy has got bigger. And the film’s leading lady Ritu Varma admits that the feeling is amazing. “‘#Pellichoopulu’ is an honest attempt. The whole team is my friends and it’s actually more than a film for us. I have a lot of expectations from it and I’m glad people appreciated the trailer,” Ritu exults.

Ritu goes a long way with the film’s director Tharun Bhascker as it is he who introduced her to filmmaking with short film ‘Anukokunda.’ “I trust him completely as whatever he has done on YouTube till now, it has been fresh. He knows my plusses and minuses and there was no way I could have said no to ‘#Pellichoopulu,’” she exclaims, promising that most girls will identify with her part Chitra.

“She is an intelligent and independent girl who has done MBA. She comes from a typical middle-class Hyderabad family who is at the receiving end of her father’s lectures. He wants her to get married and settle down whereas she wants to achieve something in life. I related to the character and feel that there’s a Chitra in every girl.”

The film has been shot in sync sound, which completely rules out dubbing. Being a North Indian, was she required to polish her Telugu? “I didn’t really have to learn Telugu much but I prepared thoroughly for my scenes. Dubbing seems artificial, at least for me. I believe that you can’t recreate the same emotion of a scene that you’ve shot sometime ago in a dubbing studio. That way shooting in sync sound was a big advantage. I think I’ve become a more confident actor now. Also, I feel I have a better command over Telugu now,” she asserts.

In the industry for the past three years, Ritu is yet make rapid strides despite promising outings in films like ‘Prema Ishq Kaadhal’, ‘Yevade Subramanyam’ and ‘Naa Raakumarudu’. Is she happy with the way her career is progressing? “I’m happy with the kind of roles that I’ve done as they have been different from each other.” But does she fret about more opportunities not coming her way? “Not really. I’m not in a hurry. I’m taking my time and I want to do stuff that excites me.”

The actress recently has branched out to Tamil with ‘China’, which is currently in post-production. Directed by AR Murugadoss' assistant Harshvardhan, the film, a psychological thriller, sees Ritu opposite Kalaiyarasan (of ‘Attakathi’ and ‘Madras’ fame). About the Tamil experience, she points out, “It was different, though I found the language not so difficult. Initially, when I auditioned for the part I thought I wouldn’t make it but I was told that my expressions sealed the deal. It isn’t a glamorous role as I would be mostly seen in churidars.”

By Nagaraj Goud