Exclusive! Gayatri Bhardwaj: Won't be surprised if people don't recognise me in Tiger Nageswara Rao

The actress, who recently appeared in the Amazon miniTV web series Highway Love, is gearing up for her Telugu film debut with Ravi Teja in Tiger Nageswara Rao

Gayatri Bhardwaj

Actress Gayatri Bharadwaj has managed to find a steady audience with her social media content, followed by multiple web series, with Highway Love being the latest one. She is all set to make her big Telugu film debut with Ravi Teja's Tiger Nageswara Rao.

In a conversation with OTTplay, the actress spoke about her new project and why she feels that the audience might not be able to recognise her in the film.

"Tiger Nageswara Rao is an ambitious project. It is a pan-India project, and I am super excited for dubbing my part in Hindi. This is my first and it is special. So far, people have seen me play a modern college girl. But this is the first time I am playing a village girl from the 1970s. My look is also very different. I will be seen wearing cotton saris and my body language is different. People who have seen me in Highway Love will probably not recognise me in that film, because I look very different. But I will take it as a compliment. Ravi Teja sir is very down-to-earth and since he knew that it was my first Telugu film and I am a new actor, he made sure that I am not overwhelmed in the presence of veteran actors. Once, after a short he even announced on the mic that I did a good job. Such things really boost my morale. I felt so happy that I was on the right track. With it being my first film, such appreciation is always needed. I have a lot of respect for him," she said.

Tiger Nageswara Rao is directed by Vamsee. It is set in Andhra Pradesh and revolves around a real-life robber who was famous for evading police and prison in the 1970s. The film also stars Anupam Kher, Nupur Sanon, and Jisshu Sengupta.

Talking about the constant exchange between different regional cinemas, especially the interesting collaborations between actors and filmmakers of Hindi and Telugu cinema, Gayatri shared that this is opening the door for budding actors like her to grow and learn.

She said, "I love this union and cultural exchange happening through cinema across regions. We are all one industry, and such things only help us get more opportunities to explore as an actor. Unless I am working in different formats and in different regional cinemas, I will not be able to be well-versed in different cultures. So, such a cross-over is also great for the growth of an actor. For example, when I was acting in Highway Love, I did not have to work too hard to build my character because Inayaa speaks my lingo."

"But when it comes to my Telugu film, it is set in a different era, and the language was also different. I took Telugu tuitions. I had to understand the nuances of my character's emotion because the way a person from the 70s would think may not be the same the way you and I think now," Gayatri explained further.

Her latest web series Highway Love is available to stream on Amazon miniTV.

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