“I am single right now” Tamannaah
Whenever people have written her off, Tamannaah has sprung a surprise. Such has been the story throughout her career. The glam diva reflects on her decade-long journey in showbiz and is gung-ho about her forthcoming projects. Shankaran Malini in conversation with the diva finds out more.
A learning experience
Ever since Tamannaah has made her acting debut with ‘Chand Sa Roshan Chehra’ (2005), she’s been a revelation, and has eventually catapulted herself into the big league in tinsel town. Ask her how the journey has been and Tamannaah says that it’s both a mix of luck and hard work that shapes up the destiny of a star. “I think it first starts with luck because you know that to be noticed at the box office by getting the right opportunity at the right time, the ‘chance’ factor comes into play. Of course hard work is also crucial.
Your interest in the job and profession and the very reason as to why you are in this field counts big time. Especially the movie profession is like no other job. It’s very different. It requires a lot more than a 9 to 5 job because you need to be committed mentally, physically and emotionally. I’m glad the way my career has been going and it’s a great learning experience” the actress explains, adding, “The change of spelling in my name just happened long time back. But I’m not superstitious about it. Somebody suggested it randomly. In fact, it has been there even before ‘Happy Days’.
Baahubali – another high pint
Tamannaah’s portrayal as Avanthika in ‘Baahubali’ won applause. She states, “Different films at various points of my career have helped me grow and shape my career. Initially it was ‘Happy Days’, later I had films like ‘100 Per Cent Love’, ‘Paiyya’ ‘Oosaravelli’, Himmatwala, ‘Humshakals’, etc where I had the opportunity to exhibit my acting chops. Today, ‘Baahubali’ has been a kind of reinvention and relaunch for me.” Talking specifically about ‘Baahubali’, the actress says, “I think more than the acclaim, there is a lot of genuine love and respect when I talk about ‘Baahubali’. It has a lasting impact when compared to my earlier films. The epic drama touched people not just regionally but also made Indian cinema proud.”
Continuing in the same tone, Tamannaah says, “I think ‘Baahubali 2’ will be an even bigger and better one. There will be a lot of turn of events. While ‘Baahubali’ was like an introduction of characters, the second part will give more insight into these characters, as to who they really are. I am indeed looking forward for it to be shown to the world. I don’t want to comment much about my character though.”
Getting to know co-stars better
Apart from ‘Baahubali 2’, Tamannaah is working on the bilingual with Nagarjuna and Karthi – ‘Thozha’ (Tamil) and ‘Oopiri’ (Telugu) and ‘Bengal Tiger’. Her look in both the films are out but her look in ‘Bengal Tiger’ has received rave reviews. “It’s actually a very simple look. It’s black and black – black leather pants, black boots, (smiles) etc. Director Sampath Nandi has a good taste when it comes to projecting me on screen. Like in ‘Rachcha’, there‘s a song that highlights my dance moves and glam quotient. He understands what works for me and the whole attitude that needs to be carried along with the costumes. All done without much fuss or drama,” elucidates the Mumbai actress.
‘Oopiri’ (Thozha) brings Tamannaah and Karthi together again after ‘Paiyya’. Talking about comic drama, she says, “It’s a brilliant script and the cast is ensemble. What’s interesting is to see two actors (Nagarjuna and Karthi) coming together from different industries for the bilingual. I am very happy to be working with Karthi again. Hope we are able to recreate the magic on the screen. Nag sir has already portrayed several roles, and for the kind of experience he has, Nag sir adds a lot of depth to ‘Oopri’. The best part about the film has been its friendly ambience.You feel very happy about going to work. My co-stars are very easy going and cool. We have shot in New York, France (near the Eiffel Tower), etc.”
Having worked with Nag, Tamannaah earlier shared screen space with Naga Chaitanya (Chai) for a couple of films ‘100 Per Cent Love’ (2011) and ‘Tadaka’ (2013) and was dubbed as a successful pair. Ask her how different is Chai from his dad, she articulates, “Chai is a very well brought up young man. A lot of credit needs to be given to Nag sir for this. He is very friendly, very polished, very welcoming. Nag sir is extremely charming, so is Chai. Now working with Nag sir I notice a lot of physical resemblances in both of them. Even in very small things I notice a lot of similarities in father and son.”
Admittedly, the actress says that she got to know her ‘Rebel’ co-star Prabhas better in the epic drama. “I felt very good working with him again. His passion, commitment and the endurance he exhibits while preparing for the roles is amazing. I have got to know Prabhas better working closely with him during ‘Baahubali’. Talking about Rana Daggubati, she says, “Rana always attracts a lot socially. I hope in future we share screen space. He is a chilled out dude. He brings a lot of energy into the sets. He is full of life and very fun loving. It’s very nice to have him around. He is the life of the sets.”
Experiment with different looks
Tammu is also an entrepreneur herself – running ‘Wite n Gold.’ She is the Creative Head of the online jewellery retail portal which went live earlier this year. Quiz her on what fascinated her about the business, “My dad is also a merchant, so it came easily to me. It was a concept I had three years ago which eventually materialised this year. I try to make myself available for it as much as I can by looking into the creative, designing aspects, etc,” she reasons.
Tamannaah further describes, “I chose to get into this business because my profession is constantly aligned to fashion. As far as my sense of fashion and style quotient is concerned I like to experiment with different looks. And I think it’s owing to the nature of my profession itself – trying out different looks, different characters, how they would dress or look. There is a constant bombardment of different types of fashion in the industry. And in that big space I am trying to find my own little space and create my own style in a better way. Three or four years ago the fashion scene was not the same as today. So, in keeping pace with the industry you need to upgrade and also have your own style.”
The actress seems to be nonchalant when it comes to goals, ambitions and plans. Says Tammu, “I have never planned my future as such. It’s very hard to see the future, so it’s always better to be in the present. So work towards whatever you have to do in the present and I believe the future will be taken care of eventually. With regards to roles, I would definitely want to do more characterisations. I think I have been doing only love centric roles so far. I would like to give a shot at different characterisations but that depends on the script.”
I’m pretty much single
Tamannaah is a family person too. “I love spending time with my family. I ensure I make space for special events, birthdays, anniversaries and family get-togethers.” About settling down in life she says, “At present I am the happiest person on earth, stuffed with a lot of work. I would settle down eventually because I also do want to. Having a checklist and ticking off people doesn’t always go hand in hand. Checklists are imaginary, hypothetical as much as people are real and not imaginary. When the right time comes and the right person comes, we will decide. I am pretty much single now and when something happens the world will know,” she signs off.
