Pooja Devariya unabashedly admits that she loves commercial films.
She became a huge fan of Madhuri Dixit after watching Hum Aapke Hain Kaun. So much so that she started emulating the actress, “I was a typical ‘main Madhuri Dixit banna chahti hoon’ types,” she laughs.
But the characters Pooja has been playing are least Madhuri-esque. Recently seen in the Vishal-starrer Ayogya, Pooja gets candid about her career. Excerpts from an interview:
Your big Kannada film Katheyondu Shuruvagide released last year to rave reviews. How has your life been post its success?
Life has been pretty much the same (laughs). The theatrical version did really well. But once it landed on Amazon, the viewership doubled. What’s amusing was that non-Kannadigas also watched it and appreciated me. That’s the kind of cinema I aspire to do.
How did Ayogya come about? Were they looking for someone particular for this character?
They specifically wanted me for this role. Ayogya is not a scene-by-scene remake of the Telugu movie, Temper. The director adapted the core story and made it as his own. I have always been sceptical about commercial films, but I was convinced about my character in this movie.
Interestingly, Ayogya is your first commercial film. Would you say that you miss working in “mass” movies?
I wouldn’t deny that I grew up enjoying commercial films like Dil Toh Pagal Hai and Hum Aapke Hain Kaun. I loved these films when I was a child. When you watch the same films through a prism today, it’s very regressive and celebrates patriarchy. I would never be part of such stories.
The characters you’ve played so far are strong, independent and more importantly, real women...
Should I rely on quality or quantity: that’s a question that I often ask myself. You end up picking the right scripts based on your past experiences. But I’d love to play a completely fictional character. That would be my dream role. Because most characters we land up getting are steeped in reality.
You bring in an emotional intensity to your performance, be it Iraivi or Katheyondu. Does it come because of the understanding of your characters?
On some level, yes. Observational skill is very important for an actor. You observe how people behave and tend to resonate that in your films. In my capacity, how would I react? That’s the trick.
Has working in theatre influenced the way you picked scripts?
I’ve always been fascinated about movies, but theatre was by accident. After Mayakkam Enna, the scripts that I got were ridiculous. I thought let me take a back seat and ventured into theatre. So, for my first play, I sent out tickets to most directors in Tamil. And that’s how I landed a role in Manikandan’s Kuttrame Thandanai.
Now that Katheyondu Shuruvagide has become a success, are you planning to concentrate more on Kannada films?
I come from an urban, affluent family and most of our conversations are in English. In that sense, I’m half-Tamil and half-Kannada. One thing I love is learning new languages. So, why restrict myself to Tamil or Kannada?
In between movies and theatres, you also starred in the TV series Door No. 403. How did that decision come about?
As actors, we can’t afford to live in a bubble, and we need to adapt to changes. When this opportunity came my way, I took it as a challenge.