Actress Neha Sshetty, who has made it big with her recent previous film, is all set to grace the screens with Rules Ranjann. Ahead of the film’s release, the actress speaks to the Hyderabadi media sharing some interesting insights about the film.
PNS| HYDERABAD
Neha Sshetty became an overnight star, thanks to DJ Tillu! Off recent, she was seen as the female lead in Bedurulanka 2012, and now she awaits the release of Rules Ranjann. The Kiran Abbavaram-starrer entertainer is directed by Rathinam Krishna, AM Ratnam’s son.
In this interview, Neha, who is elated that her first-ever dance-based song Sammohanuda grossing over 32 million views, speaks about the key merits of the October 6th release. Well, the song, shot on Neha and Kiran, is expected to be one of the key highlights of Rules Ranjann.
“My mother is into numerology,” begins Neha as she goes ahead, “She asked me to change my spelling from Neha Shetty to Neha Sshetty, which is what I am doing on social media. I was born in Mangalore and brought up in Bengaluru. Everyone knew that I would become an actress. Mehbooba, which was directed by Puri Jagannadh sir, was my first movie in Telugu. Before that, I had done ads and a movie in Kannada. In addition to becoming a model, I was crowned Miss South India. I travelled to New York to enroll in an acting course after Mehbooba in Telugu.”
She feels her expressive eyes are her biggest asset and is yet to identify her weakness. She has been a little selective on the script front. The script is what matters most. “I am feeling grateful. I hope I am on the right path in my career. DJ Tillu came as one full circle because I started with Mehbooba, which didn’t work well. My character Radhika in DJ Tillu was a tricky one. Had something gone wrong, the audience would have hated me. I must thank its director and co-star (Siddhu) for that. Despite it being a tricky character, the response from the audience was great.”
In the film, Neha plays the character of Sana, and she shares that her character is not as selfish as that of Radhika in DJ Tillu.” She is a happy-go-lucky girl hailing from Tirupati. She is adventurous and wants to explore the world. As a character, Sana is glamorous. She is cute, bubbly and a girl-next-door character. How does she bump into Mano Ranjan (played by Kiran Abbavaram)? How the journey sets into motion in the story has thrills and frills.”
The film is nearing to its release, and Neha says, “I am nervous whether Rules Ranjann will be a hat trick one for me. No doubt, we all have worked out pretty well, bringing out a wholesome entertainer. But there is a slight nervousness in me. After DJ Tillu, I was skeptical how audiences would receive my character in Bedurulanka 2012, donning a cute, village girl from a conservative family. I had doubts about whether fans would accept me. But my inhibitions were all shattered when it was released in theatres. I am sure the character Sana would surely strike a chord with fans.”
In DJ Tillu, her character was bold, and she did what she felt was right. She had a selfish character, which Neha doesn’t think is negative in itself. “Sometimes, you have to make selfish decisions to progress in life. In Rules Ranjann, Sana wants to explore the world. She wants to step out of her small-town constraints. It’s a glamorous character. That said, she is more of a girl-next-door, bubbly, cute woman. Rules Ranjann is not a typical love story. There is a new conflict point, there is lots of comedy, and you will know what I am talking about. My director followed a set routine. He is rule-oriented, and focused. As someone who comes from a film background, cinema runs in his blood. He is going to prove himself with Rules Ranjann.”
She shares a great bond with both her co-stars. Siddhu, she says, is hyper-active by nature and hardworking. Kiran Abbavaram on the other hand is quiet, polite, humble and talks less. At the same time, he works really hard. Their chemistry in the movie has worked out very well. Kartikeya Gummakonda (her ‘Bedurulanka co-star) and she shares a lot of common tastes.
Her first-ever dance-based song Sammohanuda, which has received such great responses has been the most challenging part for her in the entire film. “Music director Amrish has given the best for Rules Ranjann. Sammohanuda is the result of collective creative contributions. Shreya Ghoshal’s voice, too, has played a major role in its success. Shooting for the song was challenging. The picturisation involved me dancing in tough circumstances. Until this song happened, I didn’t have a glam girl image. In southern Indian, a glam girl can be seen in a saree as well.”
In Vishwak Sen’s Gangs of Godavari, which is a period film, she will once again be seen wearing a traditional attire. She is balancing glamour and other types of looks in movies. People have been asking me if she is a part of Tillu Square. Her fans want her to be seen in the comedy caper. But its story is different, and so I am not part of it. She is glad that her fans accepted her in Bedurulanka. They realized that she could perform a village girl’s role as well. “I don’t know if it is God’s blessings, or my parents’ blessings, or the audience’s blessings, but I am fortunate to have got a film like DJ Tillu early on in my career. When I bagged my first Telugu film, I watched about 60 Telugu movies over a period of three months to learn how the language sounds and is spoken. Four years later, my understanding of the language has improved.”
While at present she doubts her coming timing, she says she really enjoys comedy movies. During this chat, she shares that she also wants to do an action film.
“I’ve been a very big fan of Sridevi. She started out young and never had any boundaries. Like her, I want to keep my options open, and not turn down a period film just because I want to play a glamorous role. I don’t really care about the trolls. I understand people have their own opinions in this world. I don’t let the opinions of others affect me or my decision in any manner.”
