Actress Nirosha’s character didn’t have a name in Gharshana , yet it was a debut that gave her a strong foothold in the southern industry. Now, nearly three decades later, for a crucial sequence in Nuvvu Thopu Raa being shot at KIMS, Kondapur, the cinematographer checks his angles before Nirosha gets ready for a shot on a stretcher. She’s back to Telugu cinema after a decade, looks slimmer and nurses the same excitement to don the grease paint. Active in television since her marriage and recently for her soap Attho Atthamma Koothuro , she wanted a good break before she returned to Telugu cinema. “It’s a comeback, yes, and I already see a lot changes in the industry. The major one has been the caravan culture, earlier we all used to sit together , it was like a family. What’s still similar is that the caravan hasn’t been a roadblock to our conversations, it’s just the change of a system.”
Nirosha calls herself a home bird and insists she didn’t miss being in films all this while. “I always loved to be home, that’s one reason the break didn’t affect me. My husband Ramki continued to work in films, so I was in touch with trends and most of my co-stars. I was in no hurry and just wanted a good project, I was lucky enough to get one. My manager was insistent on me waiting for the right project.” Once she heard the narration, she just couldn’t say no. “I liked the way the director Harinath and actor Sudhakar Komakula approached me for the project, the strong team (with the likes of Thota Tharani in the lineup) made the cut.” Another reason behind her move to films is misgivings over being slotted into atta-kodalu roles on TV.
Recollecting her fond memories of the Telugu cinema stint, she says, “I must say I was blessed to act with the likes of Balakrishna, Chiranjeevi garu and I felt I was pampered and felt home here. Even when I was addressing Balakrishna as Balayya sir, he was asking ‘why sir, call me Balayya’. I never knew Telugu when I entered the industry, but it was only because of their support that I had a good stint here.”
She feels younger actresses these days are talented and well prepared before they enter this line.“They are totally equipped to face the camera and get as much prominence and screen-space as the heroes. Character roles are no less, it doesn’t matter if you are a mother or sister-in-law, our parts are etched better now.”
She continues to watch Telugu movies in Chennai, some of them first day-first show. “Even my husband works in Telugu films, so family conversations revolve a lot around cinema, we keep exchanging our versions of the industry, on how a director functions and do a mini-time travel on how things have changed.” As she shoots for Nuvvu Thopu Raa , she feels relaxed on a movie set. She’s no alien to Hyderabad where the shopper in her comes alive, be it at bazaars or bangle shops. “I enjoy balancing family and films. I want to work with the top heroes, I still have the same excitement.”
Whether she enjoys the craft more given there’s no pressure to carry on a film on her shoulders, she states, “Yes, there’s no fuss about makeup now. The atmosphere though is still competitive, many from our generation like Sukanya and Nadhiya are still beautiful and are getting good roles. We need to be physically fit.”
She is definitely more aware on how things work . “We know this is what people expect and this is how the industry works. We are learning more, earlier it felt monotonous.” When she isn’t acting, she likes listening to music, cook, play with her dog, going to theatres, have popcorn and scream out loud for the heroes. “Many take selfies with me at the theatres. I am not active on social media, there’s too much negativity there; there are advantages and disadvantages of course.”
Nirosha is on the brink of signing multiple film projects and doesn’t rule out television either.
