12-26-2021, 01:36 AM
|
|
Member
|
|
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: India
Posts: 80,567
|
|
10 Reasons WHY Suma Kanakala not acting in FILMS
Turn on the television and chances are that if it’s a game show or a pre-release event being telecasted, you’ll see Suma Kanakala’s hosting it. Witty with her repartee and quick on her feet, this Malayali who grew up in Secunderabad is a household name today. Taking her now established career in a new direction, Suma is all set to return to the silver screen with a film that she hopes will show off her acting chops. “I’ve seen television grow from Doordarshan to satellite through the years. I believe my journey is incomplete if I don’t return to cinema,” says Suma. In a candid chat with Hyderabad Times, the popular TV anchor speaks about returning to the big screen after 25 years, and how content — be it cinema or television — has evolved over time. Excerpts…
You first faced the camera in 1996 as the lead heroine in Kalyana Praapthirasthu. You’re now all set to return, 25 years later, with Jayamma Panchayati. How does it feel?
In 1996, I was just a college-going-girl who was on-sets to follow her dreams and had no say in what was happening. It was a scary experience to be in a place where no one takes you seriously. Now, I am older and wiser. It was such an empowering experience to be on a film set where my suggestions were taken seriously(smiles). It was great to face the camera again and there was a lot to learn. Things have changed now and I feel there’s a lot more maturity in the way I act as well.
You were away from the silver screen for over two decades. Why return to cinema now?
Well, I’ve always wanted to come back at some stage, it just didn’t pan out because I was busy with my television career. In the last two years during the pandemic, I had time to introspect and I felt the need to be challenged. I found a script that I felt was perfect for my big screen comeback. But it’s only through the process of making this film that I realised there are so many stories that can be told about women in their 40s. Or even about women in general, irrespective of age. It’s time we tell realistic stories about women. Hosting will always remain my first priority because I love doing that but I feel like I am on the precipice of something good that’s to come.
You say you wanted to be challenged, how did Jayamma Panchayathi do that for you?
I obviously know how to talk in Telugu but this film needed my character to speak in a Srikakulam yasa (dialect). This script fell into my lap at the exact time I wanted a break from monotony. My character Jayamma is bold; she’s fighting for a cause. Even if there’s humour, it’s mostly satire. What was also challenging is that we shot in sync-sound, which means we had no scope of correcting our dialect and accent while dubbing. We shot with locals, so that made it easier to get it right.
You also point out more stories need to be told about women. What do you think about the kind of roles that are currently being written?
There is definitely a change, not just in Tollywood but in Indian cinema as a whole. It’s no longer that only younger women get good roles, even if they do get most of the roles. The OTT boom has also changed things in the way these things function. Take Jai Bhim or even Gangubai for instance, and in commercial cinema, see Baahubali. Sivagami just stole the show. However, I also cannot deny that we simply need to do better. It’s not hard to write a good, fleshed-out role for a woman even in commercial cinema. We often see the hero saving the day on-screen but who does that for any woman in real life? We need to start being realistic and stop portraying women as damsels-in-distresses.
And when it comes to television, what changes have you seen through the years?
Okkapudu ‘TV lo chestara’, ani sarcastic ga anevaru. Now they say the same line with awe. Serials are being made on par with movies, even the budgets have gone up. There’s bigger scope today for everyone from actors to technicians who need employment. And when it comes to me, game shows have made me a household name. People see me every day on-screen and feel like I’m one of their own. The growth in television has truly given me everything, including the opportunity to return to the silver screen. When I was stuck at home due to the pandemic and had to look for ways of earning, I’ve truly come to appreciate all the work I’m getting to do, be it hosting or acting.
__________________
Future Story here
|
