'Tuck Jagadish' will hit Amazon Prime on the night of September 9. In this interview, Ritu Varma talks about her experience of working with Nani, director Shiva Nirvana, her choices, her future projects and more.
This is my first proper commercial film in which I have played a small-town girl. Gummadi Varalakshmi is a Village Revenue Officer. Because she is a government officer, she is authoritarian by default. At the same time, she is also innocent. She speaks her mind, and at the same time is rooted in tradition.
Since I am a city-bred girl, I didn't get to taste the village life much in real life. While playing Varalakshmi, I became my character purely by observing my director's instructions and getting into the skin of the character. Director Shiva Nirvana was very clear throughout.
'Tuck Jagadish' is a proper big-screen movie. Keeping the pandemic in mind, the producers have sold it to OTT. During the lockdown, OTT has been the only source of entertainment for many.
I am a North India but I know Telugu because I was brought up in Andhra Pradesh. I only do movies that interest me. I am very selective. The number of movies that I have done are very few. After 'Pelli Choopulu', I didn't get many good offers. I have been choosing only good scripts.
This is my first movie with Nani after 'Yevade Subrahmanyam'. At that time, I couldn't interact much with him as I was very new. This time, I have interacted with him about movies. He is a knowledgeable person and I had fun having interesting conversations with him. He is a self-made man. His career graph has only moved up in life. I have always liked his sense of judgement. If I need some advice, I can message him and he will be there to advise me.
Although 'Tuck Jagadish' is commercial, it's also realistic. There are no over-dramatic scenes. The movie also features an ensemble cast from different industries. Every character is unique and they all will stand out.
After I watched 'Ninnu Kori' and 'Majili', I wanted to work with director Nirvana garu for sure. I enjoyed working with him from Day 1. The producers were also great to work with.
The scenes between me and Nani are cute. They will bring smiles to the face of the audience. I have done urbane and multiplex movies. With 'Tuck Jagadish', I think I am going to reach a particular section of the audience. As an actor, I want to do a variety of roles. I hope to play characters that are relevant to the story. I want my characters to be substantial.
'Varudu Kavalenu' will release in October probably. 'Oke Oka Jeevitham' with Sharwanand will release in Telugu and Tamil. I have also signed up to do a Tamil movie. I am in talks for an anthology commissioned by Amazon Prime. The language barrier has reduced drastically in the cinema industry. There is a constant exchange of content and talent between industries.
I am a calm and happy person generally. I enjoy singing and dancing. I am very filmi. In 'Varudu Kavalenu', I did the 'Digu Digu Naga' song because I enjoy dancing. The director felt that the song is very much needed for that movie.
I might someday co-produce an Indie film or an OTT movie, produce something small. A lot of filmmakers approach me from time to time. The audience have been very welcoming and warm people since 'Pelli Choopulu'.
