I have been inspired by world cinema in different ways. But no, 'Raja The Great' is not a copy. It's not based on any film. You will see a lot of Telugu nativity, moreover.
When 'Yuganiki Okkadu,' the Telugu dubbed version of 'Aayirathil Oruvan,' released, I didn't like dubbing for my character. Someone much older had done it, and it didn't have the flavour.
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.
Sure, I have been a part of many Telugu movies, but I got those films because of my Hindi movies.
Mollywood movies are narrated at their own pace, unlike Telugu movies, which ought to be crisp.
I knew that the glamor quotient is high in Telugu movies when compared to Malayalam. Hence I was careful while opting for the roles in Tollywood.
I am open to do a Telugu, Tamil or Malayali movie. If I get a good script and good character, I will surely do it.
At 14, I started reading popular scripts, wanted to learn Telugu, read books and improve my language. Then I got married at 15.
I learnt to sing in Bengali, my mother tongue, then went on to sing in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Gujarati and every possible Indian language.
I watched the Telugu version of 'Pokkiri' several times. Of course, I wielded the megaphone for the Tamil version. The script is very close to my heart.
'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.
Just like how you find players from different backgrounds in Indian cricket team, our Telugu industry is looking for talent, and it doesn't matter where it comes from.
Before, there was a culture that said Mumbai is separate, Telugu films should be separate. Now, everyone is working together. It's cool.
Recently, I read a quote which said that if a woman is beautiful, she's called an Angel' in English and a Bapu Bomma' in Telugu. I think that sums up the legacy he has left behind.
Hyderabad is a truly pan-Telugu metropolis that has come to accept the mix of Telangana's dakhni culture and the coastal region's Andhra culture.
Even my first film Poda Podi' was supposed to be remade in Telugu. That was an experimental film.
I honestly regret that I haven't done much work in Telugu, but work kept coming in from the other industries and I couldn't turn those offers down.
Just as the cultures, lifestyle and food differ vastly from our own, music for the Tamil/Telugu audience is vastly different from that of Mollywood.
I'm quite fluent in Telugu now, but there's a difference between talking and dubbing. While dubbing, the diction must be in sync with the emotion in the scene and would impact my performance.
I was in Hyderabad shooting for a Telugu film with Mahesh Babu when Aamir called, saying he wanted me to play the widow Jwala in 'Mangal Pandey.'
Yes, many people compare me with my father and I feel proud and happy that Telugu people are enjoying my roles.
I want to place the facts before the people. Tell them about the greediness of Congress and how it divided the Telugu people and destroyed the state for political gains.
I have read Omar Khayyam's 'Rubaiyat' in translation and marvelled at the emotions and its universal appeal and dreamt of authoring such a work in Telugu. 'Pyaasa' is the result.
For 'Tevar' we chose Amit Sharma to do the Hindi version of the Telugu hit 'Okkadi' because we wanted to change the flavour and mood of the original.
Telugu heroes are made into demi-gods. The fans here are sincere, and even if the film is bad, they will see it and stand by the actors they like.
When I used to visit my relatives' places in Hyderabad, I would keep seeing the posters of Telugu films. It's not a different world for me.
In most Telugu families, marriage is a union of two families, and 'Rarandoi Veduka Chuddam' presents conflicts from that aspect.
I can understand Tamil and Telugu when a conversation is aimed at me, but I cannot hold a conversation.
I am not really missing theatre as I get to act in films, that too in different languages, such as Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Marathi, my mother tongue.
My mom was the happiest person when I first got a Telugu offer. She told me that the people here love cinema and will also love you. I have to agree with her.
Some of my scripts need the larger catchment area of Bollywood. But some suit Telugu films.
Tollywood is where I made a name for myself, and it's all thanks to the love and affection my fans have showered on me. The least I can do in return is to learn to speak the Telugu language correctly.
I have regional films, Bengali and Telugu, but always wanted to do a Marathi film especially because I think this industry makes the best comedy films.
It was when I was shooting for a Telugu film in Hyderabad when director Meher Ramesh approached me for 'Veera Kannadiga.' I was game to explore a new language and said yes.
I am getting good roles in the Telugu film industry. And people are also liking my work. I dub the films myself and this makes a huge difference.
I got a sneak peek into the functioning of the film industries of the south through Telugu cinema. This industry has helped me understand how to adapt to various styles of filmmaking. It's been liberating.
I have not seen the Hindi version or the first season of 'Big Boss Telugu.' I will bring my own style to the show, using my understanding of how the format works.
Having started with Bollywood and then moving to Telugu industry, I feel that it is not possible to survive without talent in any industry.
I did Kannada when I was in college. I wasn't even sure of what I was doing. I started figuring out my career in acting when I began doing Telugu and Tamil films.
Everybody in the two Telugu states, especially the residents of Vijayawada, love both cinema and politics. And 'NOTA' is a cinema with a political subject.
I am an actress. My first film was a Telugu film, my second film was Bollywood, and third was Indo-Chinese.
When I was approached by Star MAA to host 'Bigg Boss,' the biggest-ever show on Telugu Television, I was intrigued by the challenge. I believe that the show will be a game changer.
Telugu cinema can really spoil you. They treat you like a queen. As soon as you get down from your van, they will all stand up, and they won't sit till you have passed by. I love that attention and miss that.
Avunu's stellar run at the BO and the positive response from the audience was such that most scripts coming my way from Telugu have been from the horror genre!
In Telugu, they treat an actor or actress with great importance, and the Kannada industry is like home for me, I feel most comfortable working here.
I have sung a couple of songs in Telugu and Hindi films, but I was not happy with that. So, I thought of doing an album. I do not know how people will react.
A lot of substantial roles are coming my way from Tamil and Telugu, and I am happy with the way my career is progressing.
I started with Tamil film, then Hindi. Now, I am also doing a Telugu film. The journey has been wonderful so far.
I find the working pattern to be the same in Bollywood as well as Tollywood. Especially because most directors of photography from the Telugu industry operate in Bollywood, too.
Once there was this Telugu film about a ghost. It sounded too hackneyed. 'Probably it will turn out fine,' I told myself and went ahead and... it was a disaster.
Telugu and Tamil actors have been so open-hearted and warm in welcoming me to be part of their industries. This appreciation from such people means a lot to me.
Take me to any other film industry, and they will be wondering why Telugu audiences love me so much.
In Tamil and Telugu films, I am not called for stylish roles and often play rustic or unglamorous roles in them.
Even when I had three Hindi films happening at the same time, Tamil and Telugu will always be an important industry considering I started my career there.
The title 'Vaisakham' sounds so good because it's a pure Telugu title. When I watched the trailer, it became clear to me that it's a pucca commercial movie.
Tollywood has a special place in my heart because Telugu is my mother tongue, and when I sing in the language, my mom feels really happy.
In 'Bigg Boss Telugu,' I had to be myself, not Jai. So, every weekend, when I went to the television show, it helped me to get back to my real self.
I did a whole lot of work before taking up my first movie. From TV commercials to Telugu films, I learnt a lot from them all.
When I did my first film, I did not understand or speak Telugu.
Music has no language. That's something I've come to believe in even more ever since 'Kolaveri Di' happened. I don't deliberately make separate Tamil, Hindi, or Telugu tracks.
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