A nonetheless from ‘Irumudi’; Priya Bhavani Shankar
| Picture Credit score: Particular Association
Name it intuition or the knack of figuring out a script that holds promise, actor Priya Bhavani Shankar exudes confidence when she talks about Irumudi. “It will likely be among the many finest Telugu movies in recent times,” she says in regards to the movie directed by Shiva Nirvana and starring Ravi Teja, releasing in theatres on August 21.
Priya is a well-known face in Telugu cinema, having acted in Kalyanam Kamaneeyam, Zebra, and the Dhootha web series, although Tamil cinema has been her mainstay. “My effort has all the time been to decide on movies the place my character is important to the story, no matter the screentime. I’ve consciously prevented ornamental characters. Some movies might have labored, others might not have, however my effort has been fixed.”
Irumudi got here her method via the manufacturing home, Mythri Film Makers. “I favored the story narrated by Shiva Nirvana and had a protracted dialogue with him. It was evident that the story revolves across the father-daughter bond shared by Ravi Teja and Nakshatra’s characters. I used to be involved that my character may be rendered invisible. Shiva was receptive to my ideas and after we arrived at a consensus, I got here on board.”
She describes her character, Kaveri, as an antithesis to her real-life persona. “It’s a rural household drama and we regularly hear about girls like Kaveri who’re docile and naive. She can also be the grounding pressure when there’s an excessive amount of drama between the daddy and the daughter,” says Priya. On a enjoyable observe, she shares her mom’s observations throughout the movie’s promotions. “I had to attract the muggu with Suma Kanakala, within the video. My mother discovered that amusing since I hardly ever do it in actuality.”
Irumudi was filmed in Sileru in Andhra Pradesh, and Priya learnt her Telugu dialogues and likewise dubbed for it. She hastens so as to add that she isn’t positive if her model, versus the one by the dubbing artiste, will make it to the ultimate minimize. “The director will take a name on which fits the movie finest.”
Ravi Teja and Priya Bhavani Shankar on the units of ‘Irumudi’
| Picture Credit score:
Particular Association
At the moment engaged on the sequel to Dhootha, other than the Tamil movies Demonte Colony 3 and Maragadha Nanayam 2, Priya acknowledges that her nine-year journey in cinema has whizzed previous with a pace that she couldn’t hold observe of.
“Media and cinema weren’t in my scheme of issues,” she remembers. Whereas within the second yr of engineering, she started working as a part-time reporter with NDTV-Hindu and later joined the Tamil channel Puthiya Thalaimurai as a reporter and information presenter. “I used to be by no means fearful of the digital camera.”
Between the pages
When not on a movie set, Priya prefers to be a homebird, catching up with associates or studying. At the moment studying The No-Present by Beth O’Leary, she says, “I’ve learn a few of her earlier books and thought it will likely be a enjoyable learn, and I’m pleasantly stunned at how heartwarming and shifting it’s.”
She then landed an appearing alternative for a Tamil tv serial. “The transition from information reporting to appearing was tough. For a yr, I made errors and learnt appearing since I had by no means been to a movie faculty or taken appearing courses.”
Director Shiva Nirvana and Priya Bhavani Shankar
| Picture Credit score:
Particular Association
Even at that time, she says cinema was not on her radar. “I grew up in a household that hardly watched one or two movies a yr. An early childhood reminiscence is watching Captain Prabhakaran in theatres. My dad was a fan of actor Vijayakanth and we watched a few of his movies.”
Priya debuted in Tamil cinema with Meyaadha Maan in 2017 and says she took it in the future at a time. “My focus was to benefit from the technique of appearing. I didn’t wish to show something to anybody.” Whereas she sought roles that gave her scope to carry out, visibility was additionally a driving issue.
Thus far, she additionally elements in whether or not the manufacturing home backing a movie has the potential to take the movie to the theatres. “I’ve labored with a number of debut administrators and have loved the expertise. I’m additionally conscious that an ready manufacturing and distribution community is important to make sure our movie reaches the viewers. The script and readability with which a director envisions it are the first causes to decide on a movie, however I additionally give significance to the manufacturing home.”
Within the final 9 years, Priya says she learnt to evaluate scripts higher as she developed. “I’m not embarrassed about any of my earlier movies however I feel I’ve developed as an individual and as an actor.”
Revealed – August 19, 2026 07:30 am IST
