Star hero Dhanush’s bilingual movie Sir (Vaathi in Tamil) is gearing up for a grand release on February 17, 2023. Samyuktha played the female lead in this movie. We met the actress for a brief interview and here is the transcript.
Tell us about your journey into movies?
My first movie started while I was on vacation. I hail from a village in Kerala and during my first film, I never believed I would make a cut in films. Then I went back to studies, and somehow destiny got me here. When I did one movie with full attention then I fell in love with cinema. I consider cinema to be divine and spiritual. When things happen by luck then we don’t find difficulties. I had my best phase when I started watching movies in Telugu.
How did you come on board for Sir?
When I signed up for Bimbisara and Virupaksha, I got a call from the team Bheemla Nayak. I liked the changes they made to the original character. After signing up for the film, I met Venky Atluri and he narrated the story of Sir. Then I realised that this is a great film which I should not miss. I got finalised after the look test.
Tell us about your character in Sir?
I played a teacher role in Sir. I am not just limited to the romance part but also connected with the main plot in a big way. For some characters, I want to be spontaneous. Then only the best acting happens. For a few roles, we have to prepare a lot. I went around a few villages in Andhra and Telangana to understand more about characters and their behaviours. I talk to the director and writer to get more understanding of my character. For this role, I visited schools to see how the teachers look, dress and talk. So, people can relate to my character.
Is Sir majorly focused on education?
Sir is a wholesome entertainer. We want the audience to feel for education and the reforms. The audience will connect with all the characters and scenes.
Working experience with Dhanush?
I have been watching Dhanush’s movies for a long time. He is an actor and a star. He is working in all languages and even in international films. It’s a really good experience working with him. Dhanush is very quick and fast. When I was stressed with dialogues in two languages, he gave me motivation and I became stress-free. Dhanush is spontaneous. He is a subtle performer and knows how to be optimal with acting.
Working experience with Venky Atluri?
Venky moulded me to extract the right emotions. He is clear about what he wants, so it’s fun to work with him.
On learning Telugu for Sir?
I learn Telugu as I feel it’s the need of the hour. When you are on sets, a lot of people talk in Telugu and it’s better to speak in their language. That made me learn Telugu and dub in the language. You have to be a good listener and stick to the brief given by the director. In a scene, we have to listen to other actors, and I picked most of the Telugu lines by being an active listener. Unfortunately, I couldn’t dub for this film as I was stuck with many projects.