South pride set for a Bollywood Hungama
By Monish Singh
SUPER successful south Indian cinema star Pranitha Subhash has shown her impressive acting ability in Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada blockbusters.
Fans have loved her performances in such critically and commercially successful films like Baava (2010), Attarintiki Daredi (2013), Massu Engira Masilamani (2015) and Enakku Vaaitha Adimaigal (2017). The versatile actress is now branching out to Bollywood with Ajay Devgn-starrer Bhuj: The Pride of India and Priyadarshan’s hotly anticipated comedy Hungama 2.
Garavi Gujarat caught up with Pranitha Subhash to discuss her move into Bollywood, decade-long journey and the best part of her profession.
After establishing yourself in south Indian films, you’re ready to set foot in Bollywood. How are you feeling ahead of your Hindi cinema debut?
I’m a bit nervous because in spite of establishing myself in the south, when you’re debuting in a new language it feels like you’re starting over. It’s like day one all over again. So, I’m really nervous. I really wish the Hindi film industry and its audience accept me.
What can you tell us about Bhuj: The Pride of India and your role?
In Bhuj, I play Ajay Devgn’s wife.
He plays Vijay Karnik who was in the Indian Air Force. The film is about the 1971 Indo-Pak war. Though it’s a war drama, women in the film play vital roles. I really enjoyed playing this role.
How did you connect to this project?
I was being asked for various projects in Hindi and Bhuj was one of them. The role required someone who looked traditional. I think the south Indian and Marathi cultures are very similar and that’s perhaps something which made the makers feel that I really suited the role.
Is it disappointing that your first Bollywood film is slated for a direct-to-digital release instead of a theatrical one?
In a way, yes, because I come from a school of thought where movies are like celebrations. It’s like a festival in the south when a big hero’s film releases. There is so much action in theatres and it is like one big celebration, with huge cut-outs and things like that. Some of my films have had 4am shows where fans stayed up the whole night celebrating, and reviews were out by 7am. This was expected from Bhuj as well because the country is filled with Ajay Devgn’s fans. With the film releasing on OTT, it’s a little disappointing. But since it’s a serious, war film, I’m sure the OTT audience will lap it up.
You must have watched Hungama (2003) growing up. It must have felt amazing to get cast in the sequel Hungama 2.
Yeah, I obviously watched Hungama. Who would have thought I would one day be cast in the sequel! But I’m really excited about being part of this film because it’s being produced by the same banner and directed by Priyadarshan.