Just last year, Anikha Surendran was seen as a teen in Akkineni Nagarjuna's 'The Ghost'. She played a problematic niece in that film. This month, on January 26, the actress is all set to make a debut in Telugu as a female lead. The film is 'Butta Bomma', starring Surya Vashistta and Arjun Das as the lead men.
In this interview, Anikha talks about her role in the movie, working with Sithara Entertainments (and Fortune Four Cinemas), transitioning from child artist to a heroine, and more.
The character I played in last year's 'The Ghost' was so unlike me. I would tend to relate more to the person that I am in 'Butta Bomma'. My name is Satya in the film.
Sithara Entertainments is a big name and I feel it's the best I have got to work with in my career. It felt like home working with them. Director Ramesh sir made it easy for me. He is clear-minded about his actors and their expressions. He is meticulous, so much so, he could notice even a small twitch in my eyebrow. He is absolutely result-oriented.
It felt great to team up with Surya and Arjun Das. The latter is an absolute sweetheart. Surya was patient and supportive. I guess a few changes have been made to the Telugu remake. Ramesh sir added his own touch to the story. I have also got solo scenes (that don't involve the heroes), for which I shot for 20 days.
The director encouraged me to hold conversations with him about the character. It helped me get a profound understanding of the character. I also got to explore the film one scene at a time. That way, I didn't have to ape the actress from the Malayalam original. I could lend the character my own style. The ADs were of great help in helping me understand the nuances of Telugu. I haven't dubbed for my character.
I am also doing a film titled 'Oh, My Darling!' in Mollywood. In Tamil, a few projects are in pipeline. In Telugu, too, some projects are up my sleeve. I am playing lead roles in each of them. I don't have a dream role as such. But female-oriented films are my thing. A lot of films have been coming my way in Tollywood.
It has been more than a decade since I have been an actor. When I was a child artist, I had the luxury to be on set as if it were a vacation. But now, the dynamics have changed.
