I Enjoy Having Funny Conversations With My Son

Q Who inspired you to pursue Kuchipudi? Tell us how it all began.

My journey did not have any dramatic beginning. I started to learn dance at the age of 10. You know, when we have young kids, we try putting them in different activity classes to see if something interests them. My mom tried the same. Luckily for me, the moment I walked into the dance school, I found the environment magical and beyond life. Youd see grown-up role models, hundreds of them, practicing every day and rehearsing for shows every week. It was a great environment to grow up in. Id say, very early on, I knew I wanted to be a dancer, and I wanted to impress my guru, Kuchipudi legend Vempati Chinna Satyam, who was an extraordinary role model.

Q Youve made an effortless leap from dance to cinema. Was acting always at the back of your mind?

No, I dont watch movies. I was never really fascinated by them. In fact, until I was pregnant with my son, I never thought of acting in a movie. It was only after my son Vikramaditya was on my lap as a newborn that I thought, I dont want to stop where I am.

I got married very early and had my son when I was just 23. I began thinkingIs this all I have worked toward all through my life? After working so hard in school and in many areas of life, should I stop with being married and giving birth to a child? Is that all? Or can I break this, and go beyond? I wanted to make my son proud. In about 20 years, he will be where Im now. If my growth stops here, would he respect me?

And so I decided I wanted to get ahead and be a role model for my son. I wanted to take my dance to a larger audience. Thats when social media was opening up. It was inspiring to see so many other artistes managing different art formsdance, theater, modeling, acting. Social media makes you reach out to a wider audience and, in some sense, reach greater heights of success in terms of building a market as an artiste.

Q But why films?

My dance videos on YouTube received a lot of appreciation. Slowly, people started reaching out to me with offers for modeling, short films, theater and other creative arts. This led to me acting in 34 short films. Once you start experimenting, you realize that the kind of market you can develop as an artiste by presenting yourself in a movie is extraordinary, especially when the movie turns out well. The kind of audience I can reach through one movie would be more than what Id reach as a dancer, performing week after week for 10 years!

After seeing the appreciation received by the short films and dance videos, I thought, Why not produce and act in a dance film? Thats something we havent seen in decades in the Telugu film industry. It took some time for everything to come togetherthe right director, the right script, and the right cast. But by the time the project kick-started, I had reached a maturity level to ably take it forward.

Q Did you take your sonto the sets?

Yes, many times. Hes very shy, but he built a good rapport with the movies director, Revanth Korukonda. Theyre good friends now! My son has also slept in the caravan a few times.

So, yes, he has had a few memories with me when it comes to my maiden film venture.

Q You come from a prominent South Indian business family. How did your family react when you decided to pursue acting?

Actually, I belong to the fourth generation when it comes to being part of a business family. The fact is, no matter what career path I take, I know I have the family safety net to fall upon. My family wasnt worried about any career risk. The questions were more along the lines ofWhy do you want to work so hard?, Why dont you spend more time with your kid?, and Why dont you enjoy life?

So, the questions were more on the purpose of my wanting to work.

But then, thats something I cant explain to anyone. Its a feeling of personal satisfaction.

Q Now that youre a parent yourself, does the way you were parented influence your parenting style?

What I learned from my parents is to always be kind to everyone, show respect to others, and embrace our religion and culture. These are values I would like to adhere to and inculcate in my son so he grows to become an outstanding citizen of India.

Q Talking of your son, did the lockdown give you time to be more involved with him and your family?

During the lockdown, I took more interest in his education, which was earlier mostly left to the school. Now, weve started understanding and questioning the syllabus, looking for new textbooks that can be used for reference in various subjects, finding online teachers who can help him understand the concepts, etc. It also took some time to have him positively engaged and build a schedule for him without school and everything else.

Q What activities do you and your husband enjoy with your son?

I enjoy having funny conversations with Vikramaditya, as we make each other laugh. We do try to have at least one family meal together every day. Besides playing and planning family outings, my husband and I love chatting with and listening to our son. This really helps us stay connected with him as he grows up.

Q Amid work commitments, how do you and your husband support each other when it comes to keeping your sons routine going?

The important part was getting our child into the right routine. After we found him the right teacher, the right schedule, the right sport that he liked, keeping him in that rhythm became our responsibility. Luckily, my husbands profession kept him in Hyderabad and at home most of the time. So, whenever I had to travel or shoot, hed happily step in and keep that going. Hed follow up and check on my son. Yes, we communicate well to ensure theres no disruption to the routine. Both of us are equally invested in Vikramadityahe is our priority, no matter what.

The other thing is about ensuring he has the opportunity to interact with peers. Our son is a single child, so we ensure he has good company with children his age. In fact, we moved to a gated community so hell have more friends to play with. My husband and I discuss and do many little things that make our sons world predictably secure, smooth and running in a pattern.

Q Are you looking forward to the festivities? What are your plans?

We celebrate all Hindu festivals in the family with a lot of joy and fervor. Most importantly, there are pujas in the house and, of course, the family gatherings. So definitely, yes, Im looking forward to Navratri and Diwali! I also have a lot of other things to look forward to with joy and excitement as the season rolls in. Ive reopened my dance academyanother baby of mine. So, Ill be working on setting up the classes, etc. Id like to start dancing again.

I also have a few ideas for a second film. But first, Im looking forward to the release of my new film, Natyam, and hoping it will reach out to many people and get them to experience the joy of classical dance. Before all that comes Diwali, and Id like to wish everyone a very Happy Diwali. May it bring cheer and happiness to all of us.