Agent fame Sakshi Vaidya, who is gearing up for the release of her next Telugu film GANDEEVADHARI ARJUNA with Varun Tej, speaks to The Pioneer about Tollywood, working with Varun Tej and more.
SHIKHA DUGGAL
After her debut in the Telugu film industry, Sakshi Vaidya is also everywhere in the news. She’s so caught up in the love she’s receiving from down south that it’s helping her grow into the best version of herself for her upcoming Telugu movies. One such is GANDEEVADHARI ARJUNA with Varun Tej — the latest action thriller — and Sakshi in the lead role again. Remarkable hook!
So in conversation with Agent fame, she mutters, “Now my confidence is just soaring high. I am so confident in choosing the scripts I want to go ahead with and not just any pick. But the anxiety right before the shot continues (she laughs), and we as actors become so restless waiting for the per-day collections to be announced.The agitation is the same for GANDEEVADHARI ARJUNA. And I am so sure now that this nervousness will never go.”
She continued, “On a broader perspective, I have understood how the commercial business works in Tollywood, but at the end of the day, I give prominence to the story I am a part of. My film should stir some conversation in the industry. Telugu audiences are really different from global audiences! So, they are not going to accept any crap from me.”
Moving ahead in the conversation, she mumbles something about the whole process of this film: “The director Praveen Sattaru only has creative thoughts to share; don’t expect anything so usual from him. He didn’t choose a wider frame when Varun and I had to give a shot of having a conversation with each other; he went for our close-ups. I thought he was so logical in his approach! Most of the time my reflection was taken from the mirror; that’s where his cleverness seeps in.”
Adding another episode straightaway from the sets of this grand film, the actress shared, “I prepared myself to be extremely assertive if I am playing an IAS officer in the movie. The locations were new to me, and the fandom was new to me, so I was covering all this with my poised demeanour. I had to live up to my producers’ expectations because they were the ones who saw a powerful woman in me who could pull off this role.
I was supposed to outperform myself! I have this pattern in me that makes me stand out from my other colleagues. So, without taking any workshops, it was the director who sat me down for this role throughout the schedule. We were trying to connect every scene with reality.”
Sharing her camaraderie with Varun Tej, she described, “We hung out a lot in London. Most of our schedule was shot overseas, especially in the countryside. You are going to see some really attractive international locations in the film! Both of us explored a lot of cafes out there. When we think of London, instantly the London Eye pops up, but we explored the interiors of the country, where hardly anyone goes.
We were traversing through all the random villages together. The director spotted a location, and he immediately set up a home over there for us to shoot. You’ll also be watching some exclusive scenes from Dehradun and HRISHIKESH. I must say, my director is always in a hurry, so we wrapped up every schedule so quickly.”
So, a film older now, what are Sakshi’s upcoming aspirations in the industry? We were eager to hear, and she comes out with, “This profession is not just about action-reaction — you’ve got to understand the technicalities even if you are the leading lady. Know your marks well, show that conviction, know from where to take the lights, and give time to your co-actor to react.
Right now, the only snag that I can see is my promotional tours since I am not well-versed in the language and am unable to express my genuine replies to the Telugu media. I am communicating, but the legitimacy of a fluent Telugu language is still missing in me. And they want my authenticity to be in Telugu only, which is fair enough. Obviously, we can’t skip the press meets!”
