I had a crush on my professor, says Tejaswi

Q. Tell us about your role in ‘Babu Baga Busy’. How closely do you identify with it in real life?
A. My role is that of a shy and quiet college-going girl. I don’t identify with the role in real life at all as it is the complete opposite of what I am in real life. But I am very happy at doing it as it is a substantial one. Director Sukumar saw the movie and said I had done a great job. It’s the best compliment I’ve received so far and I’m eagerly looking forward to the release.

Q. You’ve done about 20-odd films to date. Are you satisfied with your career-graph?
A. I started out as an actress a bit late. And till recently, I had these doubts whether I was really keen on making this my permanent vocation. But now, I am absolutely positive that this is where I belong and I intend to give it my best shot. Towards the end of this year, I’m leaving for a three-month trip to Los Angeles for a dance/acting course. I’m already a trained instructor in Kuchipudi and Western dance, but as I’ve said, I intend to further hone my skills. I’ve also taken this decision not to do supporting roles any more or ones like the one in ‘Babu Baga Busy’. It’s a tough decision but you have to give up something if you’re serious about the long run.

Q. Is it more difficult for Telugu girls to get roles in our industry although in all fairness, one would think you were a Bollywood actress going by your photo shoots?
A. Thank you! I don’t understand this prejudice, especially, when we can watch actresses from other regions on screen. To me, an actress is an actress and that’s that! What does it matter where she hails from? When we can accept girls as engineers, doctors etc, why not as actresses? Bollywood actresses are doing their families proud and I think the mindset in Tollywood is also changing for the better.

Q. How about support from your family?
A. My parents have long ago given up on me…(laughs). They realised that once I’d made up my mind to become an actress, they could not dissuade me. Having said that, once they realised that I was serious about my profession, their support over the years has been incredible.

Q. What next after ‘Babu Baga Busy’?
A. I’ve one project on hand which I had committed to earlier. After that, I’m doing a web –series scripted by Nandini Reddy. It’s a heroine-centric one and gives me ample scope to display my full repertoire as an actress. After that, I’d be leaving for the US. Henceforth I will do films or projects only if the remuneration is good or the character has scope for performance.

Q. You had a crush on your professor when in college. Who is it now?
A. See, he was the only male professor in our college (St Francis, Hyderabad) then and many girls had a crush on him. By the way, he is really proud of me now. As for my latest crush, it’s Hugh Jackman. He’s absolutely amazing in ‘The Wolverine’.