Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | Friday Review | Young World | Property Plus | Quest | Folio |

Dancing on a train

From hot item numbers to character-driven roles

DIVA BY DEMAND Abhinaysree strikes a pose

She is the diva in demand and the frontbenches go berserk watching her gyrate to popular numbers. Metro Plus tracks down the item girl who is extremely confident of her appeal and reveals that she enjoys her work in totality. Abhinayasri has taken a rather long, unconventional route to make it in the industry. She says, "Friends with Vijay and Surya was a sensational hit that worked for 175 days. I contributed to the superhit song Aa ante amalapuram in Arya. It was a great feeling but then it was a mould that was difficult to break out of. At that time Hungama happened and now I'm doing more character driven roles now."

There is a lot of competition for item numbers with popular actresses grabbing such roles, so how does she keep herself in the race? "By maintaining one's figure, by wearing the latest costumes and improvised make up. That's how you can have an edge over the others. Simran was the one who started this trend... acting as heroine and simultaneously doing item numbers for different films."

Her mother Anuradha, a popular actress who worked in Antarangalu as anti-character says her daughter is very hardworking and disciplined. She says: "I've worked and come up the hard way and currently I take care of my three children, Abhinaysri's career, my son's education and my husband who's like a baby after the serious head injury.

I'm so happy when people recognise me as the actress's mother. She's worked hard for this. She reminds me of the support I gave my mother those days."

Abhinayasree recollects some special moments: "The most difficult moment was dancing for the item song on the train... Aa antey amalapuram on a moving train, there are no retakes. We had to stand in the sun, no rest absolutely and all of this went on for five days.

Another was a song in Shiva Shankar. I had a kneecap injury but completed the shoot at 2 o'clock next morning. Mohan Babu complimented me and said if it were another actress from Mumbai she would have announced a pack up. He gifted me a mobile and paid me extra money too."

Abhinayasree is currently doing half a dozen films and most of her roles are character driven.

It's perhaps the most significant year of her life. "I don't expect anything. When you start expecting, you tend to get disappointment."

With an air of finality she adds, "I never waste time regretting and feeling bad...it's not worth it... How is the film doing, why are not people not watching it, what is the collection?

inally you know it's a hit or a flop and you can't control it. So I just do my work and move on."

Y. SUNITA CHOWDHARY

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail