After making her debut in Tamil cinema, followed by a leading role in the Telugu film Leader, she went Bollywood’s way where she shot to fame for her acclaimed Hindi movie English Vinglish, working alongside the glamorously talented Sridevi.
While Priya Anand is looking forward to being a part of another starred Hindi film, a sequel to Fukrey, she has also achieved a different feat — Of having worked in all South Indian language films.
A debut movie in Malayalam Erza (recently released) alongside Prithviraj, and now she is set for a powerful debut in Sandalwood. The versatile Priya Anand speaks with Bengaluru Chronicle on her dream role in Rajkumara, opposite Power Star Puneeth Rajkumar, where the pretty and talented lass even teaches him to dance! And, much more.
“I had a few Kannada films offered to me but none materialised. However, when I was offered this film, I was super excited and not just for the obvious reason — I will be making my debut in Kannada with Power Star Puneeth Rajkumar, but also because I loved the film Mr and Mrs Ramachari, which is directed by Santosh Ananddram.
I had watched the movie during one of my random visits to Bengaluru, and I totally loved the film, and when I was offered a film directed by him which will also have Puneeth, I just could not have asked for more,” says Priya Anand.
The actress reveals that she plays the character of Nandini, a salsa dancer. “One of the craziest parts of the film is how I teach dancing to Puneeth. It sounds crazy, right? He is such a great dancer, and the idea of me teaching him to dance was quite mad! I kept telling Santosh that the script needed to change as my part was very funny, and it made no sense that I taught dance to Puneeth Rajkumar,” Priya laughs.
She adds that the film is mostly set in Australia. “It was real fun as it involves a lot of outdoor shoots abroad. Many in the team are young, and the directorial crew was fun to work with. It’s a typical Indian cinema watcher’s film, with a feel-good essence. It also has all the proper elements for an entire family to sit back and enjoy in theatres. A nice commercial family entertainer with a good message. I am glad that I accepted such great films for debuting in both Kannada and Malayalam,” she adds.
In terms of language skills, Priya says that she understands Telugu well, and feels it will not be difficult essaying roles in Kannada too. She hopes to pick up the language soon.
On managing work around various film industries, the actress reveals that she has no problem juggling the industries, but when it comes to her household responsibilities and taking care of her dog at home in Chennai, she does face a few issues.
“I have no problem with work. I have a dedicated team for several years now. We know each other well. The sets keep changing but when it comes to responsibilities like buying groceries, taking care of laundry at my Chennai home when I am away on work, and my dog, I start worrying. Otherwise, I am at ease,” says Priya.
Apart from the weather in Bengaluru, she likes namma food, and looks forward to the food prepared during the shoots here. “Many a times, I would ask for recipes. But, I personally can’t even cut vegetables!” she laughs pinning her hopes on Rajkumara that has already created a buzz in Sandalwood.
