Anushka's here, there and everywhere suddenly. One cannot miss her presence, and it's not always because of her height. In town recently along with Vikram to promote Naana , she was being hounded by scribes all the time but at the end of the day Anushka's smile is intact. A reflection of good days ahead? This much talked about Naana apart, Anushka is busy shooting for Damarukam with Nagarjuna and Rebel with Prabhas.
At 6 in the evening, Anushka lights the diya at the entrance of her home. Just like her, the charming home exudes an air of simplicity and warmth reflecting the cheerful persona of the actor. She plonks herself on a sofa pushing her hair back from her serene and glowing visage. Looking very much settled, she reminisces about her first year of cinema in Hyderabad. She had no acquaintances at all, lived in with her friend Vandana and climbed the ladder steadily with unflinching support from Annapurna Studios. Bharat Thakur, her yoga guru, gave her body a high endurance level and mind a sense of clarity, direction and balance. Yoga is not a part of her life, it is her life; she's been practicing it diligently for 11 years and doesn't quite like it when people consider it as a mere topic of conversation. She just doesn't meditate, chant or perform the asanas , she practices what's been taught and says a right guru goes a long way in shaping one's personality.
Anushka feels that movies have made her a responsible person. If she were to lead a normal life, she would have taken few extra years to learn and be what she is today. The job is hard, tiring and if there were no perks like the travel and money, nobody would bother to be in the industry. Addressed as Sweety, everyone says she is aptly named. She laughs, “I must thank the tantrum-throwing women for this compliment because of whom people must have drawn this comparison.”
The conversation veers towards religionand Anushka says she is not god fearing but god loving, “I can put all the idols on my bed and sleep, I'm so fond of them. My mom would always tell me that I can walk into the puja room with slippers as long as I my belief is intact.”
ArundhatiPanchakshari
Standing tall at 5.9 1/2”, Anushka thinks her height is not a deterrent in films. Suriya in Singham was shorter than her but the film worked big time. She follows her heart and sometimes signs a wrong film but it's fine with her. She says, “I have no problems with failures, I'm afraid of failing within myself. At times when I know I did something wrong I don't sleep that night. I'm scared of facing myself.” Vedam ( Vaanam in Tamil) brought her glory but she can't do such cerebral stuff always and says her loyalty lies with commercial cinema. She remarks that Hindi films are getting real and it is snatching away the magic of cinema.
She would any day dance in the Alps and be a lay man's muse and questions, “What's the big deal if I dress casually and dance in my backyard. Will they ever get to see Switzerland and the gorgeous costumes?”
It is easy to fall in love with Anushka and far easier to please her, just bring her out when there's breeze, clouds and some soft drizzle and she'll flash that million-dollar smile.
