With the success of Anaganaga Oka Raju, Meenakshi Chaudhary will be on a hat-trick as far as Sankranthi releases are concerned. She plays Charulatha, a dad's princess, in this January 14th release. In this interview, the Guntur Kaaram actress talks about her character in the family entertainer, working with Naveen Polishetty, and reuniting with the prestigious Sithara Entertainments.
Charulatha is 'papa ki pari' who is used to being given a princess treatment at home. While Sankranthiki Vasthunam was a comedy entertainer, my character in it was slightly serious in nature. In AOR, though, I have done only comedy. I come from a wealthy family in a Telugu village in the film. She is a pampered girl at home, and is full of energy. She is particular about the kind of wedding she wants in life. While I had no particular reference, I have come across girls like Charulatha as a college-goer. I tried to imbibe their body language while improving on the inputs my director (Maari) gave me.
In real life, I am quite practical-minded in nature. On the other hand, my character in AOR comes from a different world. Even in emotional scenes, there is light-hearted comedy.
Delivering punchy dialogues at just the right moment was quite challenging. Of all the roles I have played so far, this one has been the most demanding. Comedy is never easy, especially when the humor is fresh and new. I am truly happy to be a part of this film. I molded myself as per the demands of the character. I played a traditional woman's role in Lucky Baskhar, too. But the beats of that character were completely different.
Sithara Entertainments feels like family to me. They have consistently encouraged young talent, and I feel lucky to be part of back-to-back exciting projects with them. I am getting to do diverse films and roles under the banner.
It was fun working with Naveen Polishetty. This is his style of comedy. It has relatable situations that you can enjoy with your entire family.
I got to dance in mass numbers like Bhimavaram Balma and Raju Gari Pelli Ro in the film. With AOR, I have overcome my shyness while dancing. Adding to the fun factor was the happy shooting experience. Since we shot the movie in the Kakinada region, we got to visit so many places, including famous temples. The people are so nice and loved the food there.
I am enjoying the versatile nature of my filmography. I played a mother in Lucky Baskhar and an IPS officer in Sankranthiki Vasthunam. Female actors are increasingly being given importance in the story. I assess the strength of the script and the director’s vision for the narrative and characters. I choose projects based on the story, the depth of my role, and how it shapes my career.
I am doing Vrushakarma with Naga Chaitanya, and there are a few other exciting stories in the discussion stage as well. The official announcements for those projects will be out soon.
