Anushka Shetty, affectionately called Sweety by family and friends, was ensconced in a happy, positive bubble, full of life, while growing up. She loved her fairy tales—Cinderella, Snow White, the Amar Chitra Katha books—and so, grew up believing in the innate power of goodness. That, says this powerhouse performer, is why she is free from cynicism and insecurity. “I’m grateful my parents and friends never broke that world for me.”
Sweety, her character in Prakash Kovelamudi’s Inji Iduppazhagi (Size Zero in Telugu), has a similar kind of goodness and charm about her. “I was told it was a good script, and when writer Kanika Dhillon and Prakash narrated it, I was able to relate to it. Even then, I had no idea I was going to be a part of it,” she says.
According to her, the core of the film—weight struggles—is something every girl will identify with. Gaining weight for the role has also made her more empathetic to the plight of those on the heavier side. “When I used to teach yoga in Bangalore and Mumbai, I noticed many clients struggling to cope with their weight. During some days, they would come in with plans to work out harder than usual because of events they’d have to attend later that week. The insecurity of appearance is something everyone goes through… even I,” she says. These days, due to all the media exposure, this situation has worsened, with people pitting themselves against air-brushed, photoshopped beauties. “This film will help people see things in perspective. It comes with a beautiful, subtle message.”
What impressed her about the film were the character graphs. “The characters of Sweety or Abhi (Arya) are so different from what we get usually. People see Sweety as a fun-loving girl; not as someone who’s fat.”
Anushka says she decided to gain those extra kilos because she wanted to look authentic. That, of course, came with attendant problems. “My legs hurt a lot as I was not used to carrying around so much body weight. But this was all short-lived, as I had to get back in shape for Baahubali 2,” says Anushka. Anushka is also willing to lose weight, if the character demands it. “It will not be reflective of me as a person, but my duty as a professional.”
The actress has had a dream run this year at the box office, with both her films—Baahubali and Rudhramadevi—turning out to be superhits. Considering she’s faced so much success, how difficult is it for her to digest failure? “I take both in my stride. You work hard so that you are happy. But that alone does not count. Factors such as timing, luck and destiny have a bearing on success. But success and failure are good teachers. Failure means something better is waiting for you. But I will allow myself to get upset at failure only if I know I have not given it my all.”
The last few years have been draining for her as an actress, due to the intensity of her roles in Baahubali and Rudhramadevi. This is why she decided to do a quick film, Inji Iduppazhagi, in between. “I thought I would breeze through the role. How wrong I was! This role was physically exhausting too,” she laughs. “All these roles I’ve done were interesting in that they could have either done well or fallen flat.” Anushka says slipping in and out of the characters was easy once she looked the part. “Once the makeup is on, it is easy to enter the character’s frame of mind.”
In December, she begins shooting for Baahubali 2. “Many wondered why I took up the role of Devasena, after seeing me look as I did in the first film. Wait till you see the next part; you’ll know it is a dream role. Also, it is Rajamouli sir’s project. I trust him blindly, having worked with him in Vikramarkudu.” After this film, she will join the sets of Singam 3. “I loved Hari’s narration. The treatment is different this time, and I feel this film will be even better than the first two.”
Devasena will take up the bulk of Anushka’s time next year. But she doesn’t really mind. “I’m still surprised when people tell me I look like a queen. It was producer Shyam Prasad (Arundhati) who first told me that I pulled off the royal look well. But I think that my mother is responsible for all of this in a way. She’s been in love with historical subjects and has always wanted me to be part of them. Her thoughts are translating into films, I guess.”
