Most female actresses in Telugu cinema currently are from Delhi, Mumbai or Chennai. Breaking the trend is Chandini Chowdhary, a Telugu girl whose Kundanapu Bomma is releasing on Friday.
“I don’t know why our filmmakers are not looking at local talent. Telugu girls need to be encouraged and I hope that the trend will change soon,” says Chandini.
Interestingly, though Chandini shot for this film first, another film of hers, Ketugadu, released first.
“Yes, my debut film was delayed due to unknown reasons, but I am happy now,” she says, adding, “The story revolves around my character Suchi. Initially, I was scared to play this crucial role. But the director gave me the confidence. I hope I’ve done a good job.”
Born and brought up in Vizag, Chandini completed her Mechanical Engineering from Bengaluru. “When I was in college I got many offers, but first I wanted to complete my studies,” says Chandini. In college, she acted in nearly 30 short films. Actor Raj Tharun, who is also from Vizag, has acted with Chandini in many short films.
It was after acting in these short films that Chandini’s interest was drawn towards films. Director Vara Mullapudi, who was looking for a Telugu girl for Kundanapu Bomma, approached Chandini at that time.
“I completed my graduation in 2014 and then got this offer,” she says. Asked why she didn’t accept offers from big production houses and instead said yes to this small film, she says, “I never thought about it. My first priority was studies then. I completed that and this offer came later.”
“I don’t know why Telugu girls are not coming forward to act; I never felt insecure or faced any problem in the industry. Many people had told me that they wanted to see a Telugu girl on the big screen. Let’s see how they accept me.”
On how she would compete with other actresses, she says, “I know the language and I can understand scenes easily. I didn’t take much time in front of the camera. That’s how we completed the film in under a month.”
“I believe in hard work and I really worked with dedication for this film. But above all, I need luck, fate and acceptance from people,” she says, adding that she is ready to do glamourous roles too.
Interestingly, the lead actors of the film Sudhakar and Sudheer Varma, too, are from Vizag. “Most of the technicians were from Vizag too, it was like a family.”
Chandini, meanwhile, wants to prepare for her MBA. She has also signed two films, an untitled one opposite Rahul Ravindran and another one titled Manu.
