Telugu and Tamil industries keenly watch Malayalam movies and are appreciative of the content, be it 'Ustad Hotel,' 'Premam' or 'Bangalore Days.' They've also been listening to our music. That's how I was approached for Telugu films.
Coming from the Malayalam sets, when I went to Telugu, people told me that I wasn't acting and that it felt dead. It was very subtle in Malayalam, while it is slightly dramatic in Telugu. It is quite fascinating to understand what each industry expects of you and work according to that.
I struggled a bit with Malayalam, but it was easier speaking Tamil; it is closer to Telugu.
I am open to working in all southern language - Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam.
I have sung some songs in Telugu and Malayalam. And I want to sing in Tamil, too.
I am not familiar with Telugu, Tamil or Malayalam and tend to feel they are foreign languages to me.
I have acted in Tamil and Telugu, languages that were alien to me. It was then that I got the call to Malayalam.
Apart from English, I speak my mother tongue Malayalam, as well as Tamil, Telugu, and a bit of Kannada and French.
I was eight years old when I was offered a film. And before I knew it, I was acting in Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu movies.
We dabble in the regional market and have tapped into it with some amount of success. Be it Punjabi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam or even Bhojpuri music, we have explored all possibilities.
I prefer the Telugu film industry, as women are respected more than they are in the Tamil film industry. In Tamil cinema, they care only about their hero, who is God.
'Bad Girl,' the Mollywood flick to be helmed by filmmaker Shajiyem wherein I essay the role of a super model, will be released simultaneously in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi.
Telugu is a lot like Kannada, so I don't have a problem with Telugu. But Tamil is very difficult to learn, man.
My thought process is in Malayalam. So, every time I have to work outside Malayalam, the process is a little stressful. I have to translate my Malayalam thoughts into English and back to Tamil.
I have tried to show the influence of folk music in Bollywood, in Tamil movies, in Telugu cinema.
Having done movies in Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, and Hindi, I have been accepted both in North and down South. I don't believe in divisions. I like to believe that I am working in the Indian film industry.