From captivating performances to meticulous style choices, Digangana Suryavanshi has left an indelible mark in Tollywood. Join us as we explore her diverse roles, upcoming releases, and creative pursuits in this exclusive interview.
K. Ramya Sree
Actress, singer and author Digangana Suryavanshi has carved a niche for herself in the Telugu film industry with her captivating performances in movies like Hippi, Valayam, Seetimar and Crazy Fellow. Now, the talented artist is all set to enthrall audiences once again with her upcoming projects.
In an exclusive revelation, it was disclosed that Digangana will reunite with her Crazy Fellow co-star Aadi Sai Kumar for the much-anticipated film Krishna from Brindavanam.
During the recent launch puja of Krishna from Brindavanam, the film’s director, Veerabhadram Chowdary, emphasised the pivotal role of hercharacter in the movie. Intrigued by this revelation, we reached out to Digangana, who has been absent from the limelight for the past two years, to delve deeper into her upcoming projects and her journey in Tollywood and to our surprise, we learned that she has been shooting four films in Telugu and Tamil over the past two years, which are all ready for release now. It looks like 2024 is going to be ‘her’ year, with a handful of projects lined up to grace theatres.
Speaking of Krishna from Brindavanam and how she onboarded the movie, the actress, who is multitasking now as she is finishing her MBA in finance apart from acting full-time, shared, “I worked with Aadi before for Crazy Fellow and both of us had in the back of our minds to do a film with a love story. I always wanted to do a very hard-core love story. Luckily, while I was shooting for my other film with Ashwin Babu, our manager sent this idea to me. I love being part of films where, as a female lead, there is so much story around you and so much your character says. I think that is when the audience—women of my age—can resonate. If there is no emotion, you cannot resonate with the film. I heard the whole narrative and I knew it was a meaty role and I knew I could give my best, whether it was the language or emotion. This film is bound between two people: Aadi and I, and I felt this was going to be very good.”
In this movie, Digangana gets to play a modern village role. She is a college-going girl, but she assures the audience that her role in the film is more rooted and authentic, where nativity plays a strong role. “Even in real life, we are a blend of where we come from, so for me, the backstory of the person is very important and this is a film that has it all.”
If one has watched the work Digangana has done so far in Tollywood, her style game is always on point. Known for her impeccable style, she discussed her approach to selecting outfits and makeup for her roles. Emphasising the significance of aligning her appearance with her character’s persona, she shared, “I do give a lot of attention to my outfits. I really think dressing isn’t really about looking good; it is also about representing that person. You cannot see a certain person wearing a certain kind of outfit because it doesn’t suit their personality. I have been very lucky with directors, cinematographers and stylists because it is a group vision when it comes to movies. People have been very considerate so far.”
As mentioned, the actor was busy the past two years with four films and gave some details about them. She mentioned, “I have shot four films and I think everything is now coming together. I shot a film with People Media Factory, and I am awaiting its release. We haven’t, however, announced it yet. I am shooting a film with Ashwin Babu, which has Arbaaz sir as the villain. I have about a week of work left. Krishna from Brindavanam is my third. I also shot for a Tamil film, and that hasn’t been released either. These two years have been much about filming and less about releases (she laughs). I am glad to be missed because you get to see more of me now (hahaha).”
When it comes to selecting story selections, she said, “Most of the decisions are my soul decisions; at least 90 percent are my own calls. When I look at the script, I see, “If I am done with the film, do I want to go back and watch it?” I could have a 10-minute part or a full-fledged part; I need to like the film in totality. If I don’t like the film in totality, I am not going to watch it, and how am I going to ask other people to watch it? So for me, it plays an important role.”
All the roles she has played have been very close to each other, which were girl-next-door; however, the young actress believes she needs to put in extra effort to differentiate between the roles and keep in mind that she is repeating her characters and doing the same work.
Overall, in this conversation with Digangana, one thing we have learned and are sure about is that she is a dedicated actress in whatever she does and is one of those actors who would give her best in any role she picks. Despite coming from an affluent family, the actress likes to be grounded. “I am not ambitious at the stake of my grace and dignity,” tells the actress on how she maintains her values.
She is not a party person or a socialite and is more like a home bee when she is not working; however, now she is trying to be out there at premieres, as she was not somebody who used to do it previously. She shared, “I was not someone who attended premieres, although I know so many people. I was always like, ‘Okay, I’ll see you at the office, or I’ll watch it at home’. But a couple of things have changed in the past few years. There is a shift now as a person, and I am enjoying that shift too.”
Furthermore, on the work front, Digangana has also shot for a series in Hindi, which is in its dubbing phase; however, an official announcement is awaited. She is also very excited about another Hindi project that is under wraps. Beyond her acting endeavours, Digangana is also engaged in various creative pursuits, including writing.
Her multifaceted talents and unwavering dedication underscore her status as a rising star to watch out for in the entertainment industry.
