Has anyone had a better 2019 than Sobhita Dhulipala? The pan-Indian star absolutely owned the web-series space with two big-budget shows — Made in Heaven on Amazon Prime (now renewed for a second season) and Bard of Blood on Netflix — both of which endeared her to audiences, and put her on level pegging with the likes of Radhika Apte as the queen of OTT platforms in India.
She followed that up with a brutally raw act in Geetu Mohandas’ Moothon, and while her role in Jeethu Joseph’s Bollywood outing The Body may not have added much to her repertoire, her performance in Ghost Stories at the beginning of 2020 came for much appreciation.
It gets better; the 26-year-old has also been roped in to star in director Sashi Kiran’s Major , which marks Telugu superstar Mahesh Babu’s debut as producer and is inspired by 26/11 martyr, Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan.
And the icing on the cake: Sobhita will soon join the cast of Mani Ratnam’s magnus opus Ponniyin Selvan , which is based on the classic novel about the life of Raja Raja Chozhan I, by Kalki Krishnamurthy. Though Sobhita’s role in the project hasn’t been revealed yet, she will join the ensemble cast of A-listers that include Vikram, Jayam Ravi, Karthi, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Trisha to name a few.
Talking to The Hindu , here’s the star’s take on how 2020 will pan out for her. Excerpts from an interview:
Was it always your goal to become a pan-Indian actor and balance industries?
I have always been passionate about telling stories and belonging in many worlds; it is my curiosity about human behaviour and situations that guides me in choosing projects. I have clarity that language is a tool, not a medium.
What can you tell us about your role in ‘Ponniyin Selvan’?
Kindly allow me the joy of official announcements? My lips are sealed on this matter for now!
Okay, but do you follow the Tamil movie industry? Any other actors or directors you’d like to work with in the future?
I do, wonderful stories are told in Tamil cinema which is populated with brilliant actors and directors, I would be delighted to work with Vetrimaran, Thiagarajan Kumararaja, Bala, karthik Subbaraj, Ram, Shankar, Sasi Kumar, Ameer Sultan, Gautham Menon... the list goes on!
What will Tara’s arc be like this time around in the second season of ‘Made in Heaven’?
Kalki Koechlin and Sobhita in ‘Made in Heaven’
Can’t let the cat out of the bag yet! Season 2 will be out roughly around the start of 2021, we begin filming in about a month, it’s an exuberant yet sensitively narrated project that has been well-received and the team is motivated to further it with as much effect as eloquence.
Considering you feature heavily in both spaces, is there a difference between working on a web-series for a platform like Netflix/ Prime and shooting for a movie?
I don’t think so, no, my work as an actor remains the same irrespective of the platform. What may be different is perhaps the amount of time that is allotted to detail a character. In my experience, a series allows for silence in it’s screenplay and that often speaks the most: a luxury that film can not afford much.
Since you’re working across industries, how do you internalise or prepare for a character if it’s a film in a language you aren’t fluent in?
It has been a very insightful experience to be able to understand emotions without the attachment of words and then to combine them in expression. This deconstruction has made me much more focused and present; I love the discipline.
I don’t see roles as tough or easy, but consuming and liberating, yes. Most of all, they have been enriching. They make my empathy steeper.
You’re popular on social media for your personality: what do you do outside work? Do you see an alternate career outside films?
I haven’t thought about alternate careers, to be frank, I have been a bookworm since school and indulge in reading a lot, I occasionally write, I enjoy travelling when I can.
I don’t know about popularity, but I do know that I am very much my own person, and wear my heart on my sleeve, no matter how inconvenient… whether on social media or in real life.
A sneak-peek into what 2020 looks like for you?
Sobhita will be seen in ‘Kurup’ with Dulquer Salmaan
I’m currently shooting for a Hindi film Sitara produced by Rsvp, a Hindi-Telugu film Major by the same team as Goodachari being produced by Sony pictures and Mahesh Babu, *the project I won’t/can’t quote* and I will be kickstarting the second season of Made in Heaven.
My next immediate release is going to be Kurup with Dulquer Salmaan and a couple of projects I can’t yet name, that are in initial stages of signing, etc.
