Tamannaah on Tamil Hotstar Special November Story: Expect a real, raw portrayal unlike my big-screen characters

From making her debut as a lead in Tamil thriller Kedi (2006) to foraying into the digital space with 11th Hour and  _November Story_ during the pandemic, Tamannaah has kept the ball rolling in her 15-year-long career. The actor has starred opposite almost all big names in the Tamil and Telugu industry, and continues being a part of noteworthy films even now. Currently,Tamannaah has a Telugu sports drama ( Seetimaarr ), a comedy (F3), and a thriller (Maestro, remake of Andhadhun), in her kitty. Her first Tamil series, November Story, is awaiting release on 20 May on Disney+ Hotstar VIP. The show also stars Pasupathi, GM Kumar, Vivek Prasanna, Arul Doss, and Nandhini. In a recent group interaction, the actor opened up about her first brush with the world of digital content. “I listened to the narration of November Story about two years ago. That was a time when mainstream cinema actors from the Tamil industry had still not ventured into the digital space. We could shoot most of the show before the pandemic struck us last year. Completing the shoot and the show’s post-production were delayed by the first wave of the pandemic," says the actor, whose Telugu web-series 11th Hour released on Aha in early April. November Story comes from Ananda Vikatan Productions, and directed by Ram Subramanian. Vidhu Ayyanna is the cinematographer onboard, who recently received praise for Yogi Babu -starrer _Mandela_ (streaming on Netflix). “Everyone in the November Story core team belonged to the same age group. We are all in our early 30s. This made my experience and interactions with the team very pleasant. We set out to make a Tamil web show with a universal appeal, and one that can be consumed by people who don’t know the Tamil language too. The additional Telugu and Hindi dubbed versions will give the show a really wide reach and reception. I play a girl next door character (Anuradha Ganesan) and it’s very layered. On the big screen, most of my characters have been very cinematic but in this series, you’ll see a real, raw portrayal [of the character]. The crime thriller genre is new to me, so is the web series format. I was happy to explore both through November Story,” explains Tamannaah. [caption id=“attachment_9635031” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  A still from November Story. YouTube[/caption] What made her choose November Story was the story and its ability to have a strong hold on the audience. “Ram’s script ticked both these boxes and the wholesome way in which he had approached this complex story also impressed me. He’s a very good narrator too. His planning at the shooting spot, his technical skills and knowledge of the craft vindicated my decision to be a part of November Story. I feel really happy about my overall experience. My character arc is really long and you’ll get to see me in 7 solid episodes. In cinema, such detailing isn’t practically possible. I’m in a phase where I want to play different characters whether it’s in cinema or through the web medium. Interesting content is the order of the day!” Tamannaah has worked with both filmmaker KV Anand and actor Vivek , who passed away recently. The actor shared how she has not come to terms with the loss of both these two stalwarts of the Tamil industry. “I still can’t come to terms that KV Anand sir is no more; just gone too soon. He was a brilliant person to work with and it’s a great loss to the industry. He was a visionary who was way ahead of his times. He never used to waste time on the set and was topnotch with his planning. The same with Vivek sir. Both of them were so young. Vivek sir was socially very active and he was always part of some productive social campaigns apart from being a celebrated comedian. These are very very difficult times to live in, with COVID right in our face, and we all have to take care of ourselves and stay as safe as possible. That’s the least we could do!,” she says. On a concluding note, Tamannaah is happy that her show is having a worldwide premiere. “There’s a detailed graph for my character in the show and I quite loved the challenges I had while shooting November Story. As content creators, it’s important for us to deliver stories that strike a chord with audiences and I’m sure November Story will be an exciting experience in the crime thriller space for viewers.“7 November Story is currently streaming on Disney+ Hotstar VIP