Deva Darshini is a familiar face to those watching the innumerable soaps on the small tube, she had stormed her way into Telugu films through Lawrence’s Kanchana as his sister-in-law and is now slowly taking up regular roles in Telugu movies, the latest being Eega. Often people mistake her for another Deva Darshini. “I’m not character artiste Vadivakkarasi’s daughter. Lot of people keep asking me the same question, I guess there is some misunderstanding. A few of them called my father and asked him how is his actor wife etc...it’s funny but not really new.”
Darshini, as she is fondly addressed in the movie industry is married to Kannada television actor Chetan and has an eight-year old daughter Niyathi. She says it’s difficult for a woman to go out on long periods for shooting when there is a growing child at home. “We feel children need our time when they are very small but it is just the opposite. Their demands are actually less, they need us only when they are growing. I have to talk to my daughter when I need to go outdoors on long schedules or even for a day, get her to understand, bribe her and do what not. A single child and a working mother scenario is really tough. I guess it would be better when there are two kids.”
Darshini had also done a few Telugu films, Nee Manasu Naku Telusu, Amma Cheppindi and Love Today and a couple of soaps. “I’ve started my career in television and only after getting married began acting in movies. In Kanchana, as the film progressed the length of my role had increased. Jhansi had dubbed for me in Kanchana and when I saw the film in Telugu I called her and complimented her. Earlier when I would walk down the streets in Hyderabad, people would hardly recognise me but now after Kanchana’s release, I can barely walk on the street. The response was amazing.”
Darshini thinks that serials in the South are more targeted at women. “I love doing comedy, when you do something funny at work, it gets on to you and you tend to carry that sense of humour in your real life as well. We turn out to be more funny and take things easy, but I hope it won’t happen with negative roles. I want to be a little choosy henceforth and do little of these sister-in-law and sister roles and also would like to dub for Telugu films. We are Telugu-speaking people from Chennai and my husband is a Kannadiga.”
Darshini says the best thing about Hyderabad are the people and the food, she gorges on Gongura and Pappu and adds, “I love the specific Andhra meal, we don’t make it at home, our food habits are totally different but I crave for something spicy always.”
