Hyderabad: Dance is inseparable for actor Sai Pallavi. It’s a new dimension, an extension to her personality as an actor. But contrary to what she did in ‘Love Story’, the actor gets a limited space as a dancer in upcoming period drama ‘Shyam Singha Roy’. She plays a Devadasi in the Natural Star Nani-starrer.
Not knowing the nuances of classical dance made her apprehensive on the sets. “I was worried as to how I would get along with the group of classical dancers in the film. But at the end of the rushes, all appreciated me for the performance that equalled everyone. I’m happy about that,” she says.
Throwing more light about her character, the actor says, “We have had a very limited perception and understanding about the Devadasi system since childhood days. Rather than just playing the character, I was curious about exploring their psychology. That was quite enchanting.”
Hyderabad Newsclick here for more Hyderabad NewsDance is again an enhancement to what she has been doing on-screen as an actor, feels the actor. “But director Rahul Sankrityan is very clear about how much he required from me. An overdose might again lose the essence of the story,” she adds.
Elaborating on the Devadasi system which fascinated her, Pallavi says, “The practice has been coming from ages, maybe dating back to the medieval period. Over time, the system went into the wrong hands. And the naive belief among the people is that Devadasis are meant for something else. Director Rahul took what he actually required for the film. What amount of the story should be interlinked to the character Shyam Singha Roy is what he explored,” she adds.
Gratitude from heart
Explaining why she got teary-eyed during the pre-release event, the ‘Love Story’ actor said that she couldn’t be more thankful to the way life has been treating her. The passion that she has for cinema, and the characters that she is being chosen for. “For the filmmakers, colleagues in the industry and fans who have been a pillar of support – it’s a culmination for everything. Tears rolled down out of gratitude.”
Self-exploration
Sai Pallavi says she wants to figure things out for herself. “Maybe my higher self. Like exploring many facets of life, I would like to meditate and try things deeper into the world of higher self. I want to try out various therapies. There’s an ashram, a pond in Bengaluru where you could just clear your blocks and attain higher consciousness,” she says.
Although she shot for ‘Shyam Singha Roy’ in Bengal, Pallavi says she didn’t get to discover cultural aspects of the region but she has met a good number of fans, especially Telugus who settled in Kolkata. “Quite a lot of them were able to recognise me and asked if I am the one who played the role in ‘MCA’. I said yes! Telugus have a good knowledge and they constantly follow what’s happening in Telugu cinema,” she concludes.