When LBW released last year Chinmayi basking in its success, had announced she would pursue an acting career. People thought that she was another glam struck heroine, but the actor proved all wrong, with her second film the recently released Lovely . As the second lead and a Telangana-speaking heroine she walked away with all the praises. The Dallas-based Telugu girl Chinmayi Ghatrazu knows what she wants from life and is very clear about where she is heading. “I'm not going to be a part of any vanity projects carved for a hero, I am here to be an actor and not a star. I've no control over a film's content and its future at the market but if I select a role I'm going to give it my 100 percent.
“Having spent 18 years in Dallas I have a knack for observing and picking up Hispanic or Afro-Asian languages. I dubbed for this role and most of it was edited; I remember when I spoke this dialect people in CMR College where this part was shot, everyone burst out laughing. It was supposed to be Telangana initially but turned out to be Hyderabadi Telugu. LBW was shot in the US, only certain portion was done here but this experience was real, working with movie people,” quips Chinmayi.
The actor says she's never been so sure about her career. She was a student of science initially but couldn't pursue the subject ahead. “I wanted to do behavioural sciences but then I realised I am not cut out for it. I had the ability but not the passion. We were allowed to attend all classes initially to decide what we wanted. I had this project of interviewing emotionally repressed people and I would carry all the baggage home. The Americans are very good at treating it just as a job but I guess psychology wasn't my cup of tea. I found comfort in music, dance, arts and acting and I picked up a job in a radio station, did voice over for a commercial, participated in pageants and got a lot of exposure and then films happened. I really enjoyed practising at 12 in the night.”
Chinmayi Bejawada Rowdeelu is working on a script and will soon co-direct a crossover film. She would also be acting in a role of a introvert and confused girl in a Telugu film that deals with Telugu families and boys having a fetish and an obsession for IT degrees and jobs. LBWLovely Chinmayi did get offers but she pushed them away. “I don't regret that, I watched a lot of films, did a great deal of writing. Within the given limitations here, I'd rather do a role that I believe in; whether I get appreciated or criticised doesn't matter,” she signs off confidently.
