Next Enti will hit screens on December 7.Actor Tamannaah Bhatia is quite excited about her upcoming film Next Enti. The film will mark the directorial debut of Bollywood filmmaker Kunal Kohli in Tollywood. Talking to the media recently, Tamannaah said that the film reflects the challenges faced by women who live life on their own terms.
Set in London, the film follows the journey of Tammy. It also stars Sundeep Kishan and Navdeep in pivotal roles. The film is due in cinemas on December 7.
Q. What made you sign Next Enti?
I think Next Enti gave me an opportunity to play my age as in most of the films I have done, I played characters older than me. I was looking for a film with an urban vibe when director Kunal Kohli approached me with this film. In the last 2 years, Telugu cinema has changed a lot. Telugu audience has started accepting fresh subjects and stories. Even Bollywood filmmakers take content from Telugu cinema. The proof is box office which is accepting new ideas. And thus were encouraged to make this kind of film.
Q. What is Next Enti all about?
When I heard the script, I was convinced that I should do Next Enti. It is a youthful subject which I haven’t done earlier in my career. The film is based in London. It talks about stereotyping women. For example, judging a woman based on her fashion choices. This film deals with the question of why everyone looks at women with some preconceived notion. It also talks about a woman’s right to make her own decisions. We show the challenges of the girls of the current generation through the journey of the female protagonist in this film.
Of course, her romantic life is a very important thing in the movie. Because, in my personal opinion, the person you end up with is the reflection of what you think about yourself. So, it is the journey of her finding who she thinks is right for her.
Q. What did you feel when director Kunal Kohli narrated Next Enti’s script?
I found the script very bold when I first read it. I have never played a character where I have spoken openly about love and sex. Although, it is a normal thing on celluloid, we don’t talk about it a lot. That is why I feel this film is such a revelation. That is why I think we were taken aback by Veere Di Wedding. Because we saw women using expletives onscreen for the first time. It was so exciting. Next Enti is more real and slice of life film. It is not a serious film. Because I want the audience who come to watch my films, to leave theaters in a happy mood. I was able to relate to all the dialogues in the movie and that is why we decided to call my character Tammy, which is also my nickname.
Q. Is Next Enti, a woman-centric movie?
Personally, I am not that fond of putting a ‘woman-centric’ tag on it. The film is all about breaking tags. Our movie is not a rom-com either. It is about different perspectives, opinions and accepting them. The film has content that is universal and for us, the language was only a medium to communicate with the audience. The subject is set in London. So automatically we had many liberties in terms of urbanizing the film.
Q. You are playing different kinds of roles in That is Mahalakshmi and Next Enti. Does it mark a new phase for you, in terms of approaching roles and scripts?
Yes, definitely. Next Enti and That is Mahalakshmi are two different films. Thanks to a film like Baahubali in my career, directors have the faith in me that I can play all kinds of characters and I also have faith in me now that I can also do all kinds of roles and I am doing that. After Next Enti, I have F2 which is coming out for Sankrati. That is Mahalakshmi is also coming out next year. I have Kanne Kalaimaane with Seenu Ramasamy and Udhayanidhi Stalin. And Seenu Ramasamy sir is known for making realistic movies. Of course, the most expected film Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy which most of us are waiting for. I think this will go down as my most special film. It gave me an opportunity to work with my favorites.
