Beyond tags, Ritu’s looking at genres

Ritu Varma gears up for the revenge drama ‘Keshava’

Thriller mode Ritu Varma

There’s a tag or a moniker for nearly every actor in the industry. In Ritu Varma’s case, the tag that got attached to her is that of ‘a performer’, thanks to last year’s heart-warming film, Pelli Choopulu . She had been a part of Tharun Bhascker’s short film Anukokunda and feature films like Prema Ishq Kaadhal and Yevade Subramaniam earlier, but it was Tharun’s first feature film that did the trick.

Ritu Varma’s entry into cinema was cautious and a little hesitant. “I wasn’t sure if cinema was what I wanted, initially. It took a while for me to enjoy the process. The high that I get while enacting a scene in front of the camera is irreplaceable,” she avers.

She took it one step at a time and now ‘the performer’ is awaiting the release of her next film,

Keshava , this Friday. Written and directed by Sudheer Verma, this thriller co-starring Nikhil Siddhartha came her way a month after

Pelli Choopulu . “I started getting roles that were similar to that of my character Chitra — an independent, thinking woman,” says Ritu.

She was keen on doing something different from what she’d done before.

Keshava fit the bill, coming from the team that gave the refreshing Swamy Ra Ra . “It is an intense revenge story and I got to work with a great team of technicians and actors like Nikhil, Isha Koppikar, Rao Ramesh, Vennela Kishore and Priyadarshi,” she says.

Ritu was impressed with Sudheer Varma’s characterisation of the lead actor. “We normally see strong, macho heroes. In this film, Nikhil’s character suffers from a heart problem which puts forth certain limitations. Despite that, there are murders and the story is about how he turns his weakness into his strength and what drives the revenge drama,” she explains. Ritu plays a law student, who despite having to be on the right side of the law, empathises with Nikhil when she learns the reason behind his moves.

Ritu talks with enthusiasm about shooting in the sprawling Andhra University campus in Visakhapatnam, areas around Rajahmundry and the temple at Annavaram. “Nikhil and I are characters that hail from Kakinada and a small portion was shot in Vizag to depict our college days. Sudheer and his team shot the film in an edgy, urban manner and the music (by Sunny M R) accentuates that,” says Ritu.

Gautham Menon’s film

Meanwhile, Ritu has wrapped up a Tamil thriller titled China and is working in Gautham Menon’s directorial Dhruva Nathchathiram starring Vikram. She was initially sounded out for the Tamil remake of Pelli Choopulu , produced by Menon, but later the makers wanted a different cast for the remake. Then, she got a call from Menon’s office, asking her to come for a look test. She had a hunch that it was for Dhruva Natchathiram but kept her expectations in check. “When they told me I was selected, I couldn’t believe it. It had to sink yet,” she smiles.

Being on Gautham Menon sets and watching him and Vikram at work feels surreal for Ritu. “Apart from acting, I was also picking up by observing how Gautham sir treats everyone on the sets with dignity. And, Vikram doesn’t behave like a star. He keeps coming up with these little tricks that enhance his performance.”

She hasn’t finalised her next project after Keshava in Telugu and isn’t in a rush. So far she’s been lucky to work with good directors and hopes the good tidings will continue.