Ram Gopal Varma’s latest Killing Veerappan is a very special movie for Kannada actress Parul Yadav. Her portrayal of a police informer seems to have opened the gates of Tollywood before her.
“Yes, I am getting a few calls from Telugu filmmakers and I am looking for a good subject,” says Parul, adding that she hasn’t signed anything yet as no offer has been that exciting.
Talking about how she bagged the project, Parul says, “When in Mumbai, I got a call from someone in RGV’s team who told me that RGV would call me in 10 minutes. I didn’t take that call seriously as I thought it was a prank. But after 10 minutes, he called. He told me he didn’t know how big a star I am in Kannada and that I could say no to him if I didn’t like the story. I pretended that I couldn’t hear him and hung up on him. I quickly checked if it was the real RGV who had spoken to me, because normally, you don’t get roles without audition. Once convinced, I returned the call.” Before hanging up again, she said yes to the role.
Killing Veerappan is unlike any of her previous movies, she says. She plays a real-life character, a girl-next-door who was randomly picked up by the Task Force to be part of their operation to kill the smuggler.
“RGV told me that the girl was just 20 years old when she was chosen for this operation. I was quite amazed and wondered what must have gone through her head when she agreed to be a part of such a dangerous assignment, considering that she had no background with the force or even police, for that matter,” says Parul.
The shoot was very exciting, adds Parul. “I wore no make-up and was often in disguise in shabby clothes. In fact, I would refuse to see my scenes on the monitor even though my performance was being appreciated.”
Before the shooting began, Parul asked RGV if she can meet the real person, but he said it was not required. “Even media haven’t seen or known about her, so I didn’t have to prepare in terms of look or body language. I played her in the way I understood the character. On a personal level, I wanted to see her though. Finally, RGV showed me her photo,” says the actress.
Talking about the director, she says that RGV was always friendly and gave equal importance to everyone — from the lead actor to the light boy. “He is very friendly and behaves with his junior artistes just as he would with the lead cast. He gives equal importance to everyone,” Parul says.
