Lavanya bought herself a pad last year and has made Hyderabad her home. She is also looking to make her debut in Bollywood in the near future and is shuttling between industries for story narrations, even as her next project Arjun Suravaram gears up for release next week.
Failure of seven films can drive one to depression, but Lavanya Tripathi refuses to be cowed into submission. The actor says, “My failures have taught me more lessons than my successes. I am more social, I have more respect for people. I never had a low moment in my life, the past few films have made me stronger and positive. I believe that if you have talent, your day will definitely come. I have changed for the better.”
In Arjun Suravaram which is a remake of the Tamil film Kanithan , she plays a television journalist alongside the protagonist Nikhil. The story touches upon a serious issue in our society and Lavanya’s role in the film has been increased from what Catherine Tresa had in the Tamil original. While talking about the film, Lavanya shares the experience of shooting a song for four days in Azerbaijan’s winter. “My mother accompanied me and it wasn’t a vacation. The weather was biting cold. I had been to other colder places like Switzerland but here, I was chilled to the bone. In some locations, there are no vans, it is just an open place and I had to wait for my shot out in the open. I was shivering and they kept giving black tea. I had a cut in my mouth from a few days earlier, and every time I took a sip, it would burn. At the end of the day it was swollen.”
Lavanya hopes that Arjun Suravaram will give her something to talk about. She is happy that in Antariksham , her short role made an impact. She avers that sometimes the heroine gets to be in the story from the first frame to the last but has nothing to rave about at the end of it. She is not averse to being paired with lesser-known actors provided the production house and the director are reputed. “Otherwise people don’t take you seriously. This year I am being careful; I have tempting offers but I have resolved to do fewer films, not more than two, in Telugu. One doesn’t have to sign silly stuff just for visibility, it is better actors make public appearances or attend events.”
It is sad that film industry labels a heroine a flop actor when movies don’t run. On this, Lavanya quips, “People like to write off stars, pull you down. There are films where I have less to do and yet the film didn’t run. Better pay the girl heavily if she is responsible for a film’s success. If there are films that I really want to be in, I reduce my remuneration, then there are some films you do just for money. Luckily people don’t write too much crap about me. I just believe in myself.” On the popularity of web series, she concurs that the content and payment are good; also the quality is similar to that of a feature film. They however target and reach only a certain strata, the rural folk who follow only cinema, will not know the actor’s work.
Finally, she urges her female colleagues to keep their enthusiasm alive, saying there is enough place and work for everyone here.
