In the wink of an eye

A single mischievous wink from her stole millions of hearts across the globe, turning this pretty Malayalam actress into a star overnight. Thereafter, everything she did is closely followed by her die-hard fans on social media. Though her debut movie Oru Adaar Love failed to create box-office magic despite all the publicity it garnered due to the wink, Priya Prakash Varrier is still riding high on the wave of her immense popularity.

Her controversial Bollywood venture Sridevi Bungalow, for which the post-production work has already started and dubbing will be done in the due course, is scheduled to release at the end of this year. This film in Hindi has raised curiosity amongst moviegoers on whether it is loosely based on the actress Sridevi’s death or if it is just another stunt from the filmmakers to gain free publicity. Amidst all of this, Priya has signed her first direct Kannada film Vishnupriya, which is being produced by renowned filmmaker K Manju, starring his son Shreyas Manju as the hero.

The charming Priya Varrier says, “To be frank, I do not have any idea with regard to story and screenplay of Vishnupriya. All I am aware of is that I have a prominent role to play in it as a heroine. That apart, I am obviously excited to work with veteran director VK Prakash.”

There were several rumours which floated in the industry in the past that she has already signed a Kannada film that hit the floors soon, which the actress vociferously denies, saying that no one from Sandalwood has ever approached her with an offer before

In fact, her most talked-about Malayalam debut venture Oru Adaar Love was even dubbed in Kannada as Kirik Love Story. Talking about its outcome, Priya says that it was enjoyable to an extent but things didn’t work out on the whole. Even the Kannada release failed at the box office.

A great fan of legendary Kannada actor Vishnuvardhan, producer K Manju is dedicating Vishnupriya to him, which explains the title of the movie. Apart from National Award-winning director VK Prakash, the maker has selected a plot written by Sindhu Sri from Dharwad, based on which the team has developed the story and its screenplay.

Priya, who will be acting in her first Kannada film, reveals that after watching KGF, she has started to admire Yash. “I love and have visted  Bengaluru and Mysuru on several occasions. I love both the cities for their rich culture and heritage. I am doing my best to learn as many languages as possible, which helps me to be more expressive when I do intense scenes,” her eyes sparkle.

How does she feel about being constantly referred to as the wink girl? She answers, “It doesn’t bother me anymore as I have taken it in my stride. After all, it is this nickname which made me famous!”