In Tollywood every year, more than 25 actresses make their debut and yet, there is a dearth of actresses. Most of the leading actresses here are non-Telugu and are either from Tamil, Malayalam or Hindi film industries. However, the filmmakers don’t seem too happy with them.
“The reason is the success rate. If the debut film of the actress is good then she gets her second chance. Otherwise, directors prefer to look for another actress. The industry has always worked on sentiments,” says director B. Jaya, who is introducing Avantika as the female lead in her upcoming film.
Once the actress reaches the top league and is paired opposite a big actor, she is unable to take up small films. She becomes busy with multiple projects as many of the top actors expect her to be cast as their leading actress.
For instance, Rakul Preet Singh is now busy with multiple projects and is paired opposite Mahesh Babu and Ram Charan. Apart from these two films, the actress is also working in films opposite Sai Dharam Tej and Bellamkonda Sai Srinivas.
“The Telugu film industry is dominated by the actor and most of the film’s success depends on the leading actors. Although the actresses’ role is less compared to the actors’, many prefer to be paired with a successful actress,” says producer Tagore Madhu, who is producing a film with Mahesh Babu and Rakul Preet, which is being directed by A.R. Murugadoss. “Rakul Preet is charming and is also a good performer. She understands the scene and emotes it well,” adds Tagore.
Most of the filmmakers mostly choose new girls from other film industries. Some of these actresses get trained as they have to get accustomed to the local language. “Though some of them are beautiful, we also have to look at their memory power as they need to memorise their lines for the shoot,” says Vijay Kumar Konda of Gunde Jaari Gallanthayyinde fame. He introduced Pooja Hegde to Telugu with his film Oka Laila Kosam.
This year, some of the notable actresses like Keerthy Suresh, Nivetha Thomas, Anu Emmanuel and Anupama Parameshwaran have made their debut. These actresses are successful and busy with multiple projects.
While Keerthy Suresh bagged a big project of Pawan Kalyan and Trivikram Srinivas, Nivetha Thomas is paired again with Nani in an upcoming film. Interestingly, many of the actresses are also busy doing films in other languages . “Keerthy Suresh is the one actress who can reach into the top league,” feels Tagore Madhu.
“There is also pressure from the distributors and exhibitors about the female lead. If they choose an actress, whose earlier film is a flop, then the business of that film goes a bit slow,” says B Jaya. So success is very important for an actress. But when it comes to actresses like Shruti Haasan, it is different. “She is Kamal Haasan’s daughter and she gets big projects automatically and the success rate won’t affect her much,” feels B Jaya.
