Kabzaa actor Shriya Saran says co-star 'Upendra's a huge star and yet so humble, hardworking' I Exclusive
Kabzaa starring Upendra, Kichcha Sudeep, and Shriya Saran is releasing on March 17. Shriya Saran chats to us about her role in the R Chandru film, working with Kannada stars and more.
In Short
- Shriya Saran says Upendra doesn't behave like a star.
- Sudeep is a quiet, composed actor according to her.
- It's a great time to make cinema feels Shriya Saran.
Shriya Saran is an actor who has carved a niche for herself in Indian cinema and continues to deliver stellar performances, whatever the role may be. Director R Chandru's Kabzaa is her upcoming film and she is excited about her role and the film itself. In an exclusive chat with IndiaToday.in, Shriya opened up about cinema, her co-stars and more. Here are some excerpts from the chat.
KABZAA’S MADHUMITA
Shriya Saran will be seen playing Madhumita, a beautiful woman who hails from royalty, in the film. She explained, “The movie starts from 1947 after independence and has a gangster vibe. And then it goes into the 1970s and 80s. Madhumita is rich, beautiful, poised and comes from a royal lineage. The rest of the story you must watch on March 17; I cannot divulge more. This is a very interesting part and a well written story by director R Chandru.”
SEE I RRR star Jr NTR leaves for USA ahead of Oscars 2023
KATHAK TO THE FORE
In Kabzaa, Shriya Saran, who is a trained kathak dancer, got to show off her skills and the Drishyam 2 actor was thrilled.
“It was really sweet. Those roles which have me showcase my skills excite me. I am a trained Kathak dancer. I learnt from Guru Shovana Nayaran and now, I am learning from Guru Nutan Patwardhan now. In Kabzaa, Madhumati is a trained Kathak dancer. Initially, the director wanted to make her a Bharatnatyam dance but when they found out I was a trained Kathak dancer they changed it. The costumes are designed by someone from Bengaluru called Sithara Kudige. The whole look was beautifully designed by my director and the team. The whole idea is to take you back to that 70s era,” smiled Shriya.
KANNADA STAR UPENDRA AKA UPPI
Two big Kannada stars are part of the film – Kichcha Sudeep and Upendra. Shiva Rajkumar also makes a cameo in this film. How was it working with them?
“I haven’t worked with Sudeep in the film. He seems like a quiet, composed, and poised actor from what I have seen. Upendra is really fun-loving, happy-go-lucky, sweet and hard-working. He is so down-to-earth and simple. I was literally blown away that someone could be so huge and so loved and yet not be blown away by that power of being who you are affect how you treat others. It’s very rare and beautiful someone's like that,” gushed Shriya.
READ I No Ram Charan, Jr NTR for Naatu Naatu's 2.5 minute Oscars performance but LA dancers to shake a leg
PAN-INDIAN CINEMA VS INDIAN CINEMA
Ask Shriya about the success of Kannada films in India last year and whether Kabzaa would follow that lead and she said, "Everyone wants their film to do well. We have worked hard and put our heart and soul into it. Director R Chandru worked hard. Language is not a barrier anymore, it’s the content. If the content is good, it’ll do well and cross all barriers. Films like RRR, KGF, Kantara, Pushpa taught the country that it’s not the language but the content and the way it’s presented and the story. It’s a great time to make cinema right now."
Pan-Indian films seem to be the rage, but Shriya is quick to clarify that cinema is cinema and all films are Indian films.
"It’s not pan-Indian cinema, it's Indian cinema. When RRR goes to the Oscars, it’s an Indian film, not a Telugu film going to the Oscars. At the same time, I appreciate these different language films and what they have achieved, but we need to be cognizant in calling it Indian cinema," she signed off.
