Ileana is mobbed by fans at the hotel. T charm she exudes hasn’t changed a bit. It’s the last day of her work for Amar Akbar Anthony . Post a hectic schedule of promotions, she relaxes over a cuppa and reminisces the days when the media went berserk over her hour glass figure and never focused on her acting. She comes across as a very humble person and doesn’t make an effort to conceal her shortcomings. “I probably wasn’t a good enough actor then. It did effect me. I was stressed out then. You should ask Ravi Teja, he will tell you the difference then and now. I was 19 and had no idea about what was happening. I knew a lot was written about my figure. In Goa no one ever spoke about me being attractive. Once I was here, it was different. It was a weird jump. I asked director YVS Chowdhary during Devadas , why we were taking so many shots on the waist. He said it is considered very beautiful,” says the actor still wondering why a big deal was made over a waist.
Does she consider her second stint as a home coming? In a way yes, says Ileana admitting to being nervous on the first day on the sets of Amar Akbar Anthony . “There was a gap, but all through Ravi Teja remained my friend. The first day, we started with a song and I still had doubts if I would fit in again.”
Ileana shares that she continued to get offers, many of them big in every way with a potential to be a great hit but there was no significance to the character etched out for her. She adds, “I was away for six years and I wanted to come back with something better.”
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This time round, she finds herself dealing with people a lot better. Ileana is lot more articulate now and she couldn’t agree more.
“I tend to clam up when I am not sure about the people around me. Now I am a different person altogether. I feel I have grown up now. As a person, the graph is in a way complete, I am sensible, understand and respect my work more. Earlier it was money, the perks... and any teen in my place would have been the same. On the flip side, I did not like my work, it felt stressful, too much pressure. Even now I feel stressful but there is a certain joy in it. I understand the job of even the crew now. Back then I did know what was a clapboard. I was not prepared during my debut with Davadasu , unlike Ram who had his uncle who was a producer. It was his first film too. I didn’t know what it meant to work in a big banner. I did not know how big or massive the film or people were. If I had known all that, there would have been more seriousness from my side. From a sheltered college life, I became a part of a huge film industry.”
People who earlier praised her for her looks have started calling her a fantastic actor post
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Ileana sounds positive of continuing her second innings after the release of Amar Akbar Anthony . She signs off, “Working with Ravi has been always easy, it is an easy equation with Sreenu as well. It was very easy to understand what he wanted. I had a lovely emotional conversation on the last day. They said they would love to work with me. Hopefully things will work out.”