Sobhita Dhulipala on making her Telugu debut and how life has come full circle with Goodachari

Ever since she was a kid, perhaps the only thing that played a key role in Sobhita Dhulipala’s life as she forayed into films was her desire to tell stories. However, by her own admission, she had absolutely no inclination to be an actress until she completed shooting her first film, Raman Raghav 2.0. She dreamt of becoming an actress neither when she was crowned Miss India in 2013, nor when she began her modelling career. But it all changed shortly after her first audition for a feature film.

“Forty minutes after I auditioned for Raman Raghav, I was told that I was on board and we completed the shoot in 10 days. Six months later, I was at Cannes Film Festival and I didn’t even realise that I was nominated for an award for my performance there. I think that whole experience changed my perception towards acting and I knew that this is what I wanted to do,” Sobhita recalls, adding, “I’m a trained Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam dancer, and see it also a one form of storytelling. Music is another form of storytelling. I love writing poetry although I haven’t published my work yet. And more than anything, I love backpacking. Now, I’m in love with acting and movies too.”

Despite her upbringing in Vizag, the actress says that she rarely watched movies. Out of 20 odd films that she had seen in her life, eight of them were from the Harry Potter series. One of the first few films that did make a strong impression on her was Sekhar Kammula’s Anand. “That was perhaps the first time that I realised that cinema can have a huge influence on people. It was one among the very few films I had seen as a kid and I remember falling in love with the characters. My family was never inclined towards films, and I was an extremely studious girl in school and college. Even after I got a few offers from Telugu cinema. after I won Miss India title in 2013, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be an actress,” Sobhita says, matter-of-factly.

It was her performance in Raman Raghav 2.0 that eventually paved way for her foray into Telugu cinema. Admittedly, she has been in touch with Adivi Sesh, actor and writer of Goodachari, soon after her debut film released. Finally, when she met the team in Hyderabad, she was convinced that it was the right project for her debut in Telugu cinema. “Both Sesh and director Sashi Kiran Tikka were clear about their objective and vision. I sincerely believe that sincerity can’t be doubted. When you see it, you just know it. Another thing which convinced me to sign the film was how well each character was written. In most cases, the plot is well etched out. However, when it comes to female characters, they are relegated to the sidelines. That wasn’t the case with Goodachari. Yes, it’s an action drama and a spy thriller, but it also quite emotional. I love playing characters which have a definite arc and I found all that and more in my character, Sameera Rao, in this film. Now that I have done a film in my mother tongue, it truly feels like my life has come a full circle,” the actress admits.

After playing the lead role in Anurag Kashyap’s Raman Raghav 2.0, in the past few months, Sobhita has been part of films and digital content directed by the likes of Jeethu Joseph, Geethu Mohandas, Akshat Varma and Zoya Akthar. Ask her if her perception towards cinema has changed since she has worked with such prominent filmmakers, Sobhita says, “Absolutely. Once you work with such people, you don’t want to be part of anything which doesn’t satisfy the actor in you. I would be lying if I say that collaborating with such people isn’t my priority, and I really want to be part of films which I can look back 40-50 years later, and be proud of them. I was quite inspired with the work of Anurag Kashyap and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. It was almost like going to a film school.”

She also admits that she finds herself drawn towards characters which do not really find a place in mainstream cinema. If Raman Raghav 2.0 was a dark and gritty drama about a serial killer, her upcoming Telugu film, Goodachari, is a spy thriller, a genre which is a rarity in Telugu cinema. “If I wanted to make big money, I should probably have been an investment banker or something. Instead, I ended up completing my Masters in Law (laughs). I’m not obsessed with the idea of being famous. I’m more than happy being anonymous. My ambition is liberating me, not being me, and today’s day and age, that feels like a superpower,” she says, adding, “I find a thrill in playing ordinary characters like a farmer’s daughter, a tailor’s wife. I want to play roles where I can tell stories of such ordinary people. It’s important to work with a good team.”

The actress is all praise for the new wave of Telugu cinema and says that no other industry in the country can boast of as many comedians and comedy films that Telugu film industry churns out. “I was quite impressed when I saw Sesh’s Kshanam. Of late, Telugu films have been doing so well and quite a few films are being remade in Hindi. Every industry has its strength and flaws. When it comes to Hindi films, they really invest a lot in their production design and the money shows on screen. And Telugu films are really good when it comes to portraying emotions and sentiment. There’s something really beautiful about it,” Sobhita signs off.