Mehreen Pirzada on why she is on a Telugu film signing spree, working with Vijay

With three consecutive blockbusters, Mehreen Pirzada is Telugu cinema’s new golden girl and she is in no mood to stop her success streak. A lot has changed in the career of this Punjabi lass in the last one year and she thanks the universe for her good fortune. In 2016, she made her acting debut with Nani-starrer Telugu romantic drama Krishna Gaadi Veera Prema Gaadha and despite the film’s runaway success, things did not look bright for Mehreen, who had to wait long before she could sign her next project. [caption id=“attachment_4185561” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”]  Mehreen Pirzada. YouTube[/caption] “I remember coming to Hyderabad and meeting people who’d say how much they loved me in Krishna Gaadi… but I was surprised why no projects were coming my way. Looking back, I just feel the time wasn’t right and there’s nothing one could do about it. It was around this time, I did the Hindi film Phillauri,” Mehreen told Firstpost in an exclusive chat. Recalling the tough phase, she said, “On my birthday (5 November) last year, I was crying and my close friend wanted to throw a party to cheer me up. But I didn’t want because I felt I didn’t deserve one.” A day after her birthday last year, she met Tamil director Suseenthiran and the tables turned. Two days later, she signed her maiden Tamil film _Nenjil Thunivirundhal_, which is slated for a 10 November release. She sees Nenjil… as a lucky project for a reason. “I finished the first schedule of the film in Chennai and went back to Hyderabad in December (2016) and signed six films. I was told it was a record as nobody had signed so many films. I have already finished four projects. From waiting to be offered projects, I went through the phase where I was under tremendous pressure to choose which film to work on. My manager would tell me I can’t shoot for so many films at the same time but I really liked the tension as it gave me a high. I’m waiting for this year’s birthday and I hope I will sign six more films,” she laughs. Sharwanand-starrer Telugu romantic comedy Mahanubhavudu was Mehreen’s first release of the year. The film turned out to be a blockbuster, widely loved by the masses. This was followed by the recently released Ravi Teja starrer, Raja The Great , and there was no difference in the result. Her optimism can be easily mistaken for over confidence, especially when Mehreen says her best is yet to come and she describes it as her era. “Raja The Great is the biggest hit of my career. It marks my hat-trick. It feels amazing but I believe this is just the beginning. I’m not taking anything too seriously. They’re saying Mehreen season has started but I want Mehreen era to start and until then I haven’t achieved anything. I’m definitely happy with this kind of success but I feel I have a long way to go,” she said. Talking about Nenjil Thunivirundhal, in which she has shared screen space with Sundeep Kishan and Vikranth, she says her character from the film will leave a mark on the audience. “I believe audiences connect with you by the characters you play; they remember you by your characters. In Telugu, audiences still see me as the rebellious girl Mahalakshmi from Krishna Gaadi Veeram Prema Gadha. Although I had equally good roles in Mahanubhavudu and Raja The Great, the Mahalakshmi character was very special and that’s why people still remember it. In Nenjil…I play a character called Janani, who is equivalent to two Mahalakshmis. Even though it’s a brief role, it will be remembered,” she said, adding she is yet to pick up Tamil. “For Nenjil Thunivirundhal, I hardly shot for ten days. Thanks to Suseenthiran sir, I can manage Tamil but wish I had gotten more time to learn the language. I have signed another film with him and I’m sure I’ll pick up Tamil before I start shooting for that project,” she added. Mehreen, whose major upcoming Telugu release this year is Sai Dharam Tej-starrer Jawaan, is quite serious about building her career in Tamil industry and has an endless list of people with whom she would like to work. “I’m hopeful I’ll get to work with all of them. Maybe, this year I might end up signing six Tamil films. Recently, I was quite excited for Vijay sir’s Mersal because it released alongside my film Raja The Great on the same day. I see it as a message from the universe. Today, our films released together and tomorrow, I might work with him in the same film,” she said. Currently on a much deserved holiday, she is looking forward to ring in her birthday in the US this year. “For the last eleven months, I have been working non-stop. I had planned this US trip a long time ago and this is the perfect break to reevaluate my career,” she signs off.