“I consider myself lucky. I had zilch expectations from Ala Ela . The response for Kumari 21F has also been good so far,” says the twenty- something exuberant Hebah Patel from Mumbai. She was part of a small budget movie that became a hit and happens to be her first film in Telugu. She had earlier worked in a Kannada film that did quite well.
Hebah always wanted to get into films and South was her focus. But her parents imposed a condition that she should at least be a graduate. “I am from a non-filmi background and my parents didn’t want me to take the risk of not finishing my education. I did a ramp show for MTV and I realised how important it is to balance normal life with showbiz.I worked for a big jewellery commercial and got noticed and Ala Ela happened, which lead to Kumari 21F .”
Is she aware of her limitations and plus points and that a career in film means an actor has to come with certain pre-requisites? She observes, “I did think about the body, face and if I fit into the hot looks. No one imagined me to be in the hot category and now they find me to be hot too. I really don’t know if it is a good or a bad thing. If people think I look like a school going girl, then its fine..I will have a better shelf life. I always wanted people to label me hot and sexy but sadly am slotted in the cute category, ” she laughs.
Kumari 21 F explains Hebah, is a story of the character Kumari from her point of view. The actor is aware and feels lucky that she occupies 80 percent of the screen space and she went through many a workshop. “ ek dumpehele se hi My dream is to run around trees. Those were the ultimate things I wanted to do in life.” Ala ElaMujhe yaad bhi nahin tha
She adds, “I was totally sold when I heard Devisri Prasad was doing the music. Ratnavelu, the cinematographer made me look so nice. I am a very talkative person in the film and doesn’t think of consequences. These qualities are strikingly similar to me.”
