Exclusive! Naina Ganguly talks about the many challenges shooting for Ram Gopal Varma's web series Kadappa

Kolkata-born Naina Ganguly came to Mumbai seeking a career in the film industry, knowing very little of showbiz beyond Bollywood, but never did she imagine her debut would be a rustic Telugu film like Vangaveeti, directed by Ram Gopal Varma. The actress, whose comedy Malli Modalaindi releases later this week on ZEE5, has gradually cemented her space in the South Indian industries while also making a mark in Hindi and Bengali cinema. She is reuniting with RGV again for his production, Kadappa, a web show that's to release on a major OTT platform in Hindi and Telugu soon.

"With Kadappa, a web series, I am quite happy to reunite with Ram Gopal Varma. I had a whale of a time shooting for Kadappa in the middle of dry regions, forests in peak summer in April. As much as I enjoyed it, the experience left me drained completely. The coolers never worked, there were thorns, my feet was bleeding. There was scorching sun, we had sit on the rocks for our lunches. However, for the result we managed, everything was worth it. I am someone who always relishes challenges. It's upto the audiences to decide if our efforts were enough to impress them," she told us.

Kadappa is a vengeance-filled drama based on Rayalaseema faction wars spanning a few decades. The first two seasons of the web series will focus on the lives of brothers Paritala Ravi and Paritala Hari who hail from the Anantapur district. The show is likely to premiere in Hindi and Telugu languages on MX Player. Kancherapalem Kishore, Isha Koppikar are among other actors who're part of the show.

Besides Kadappa, Malli Modalaindi, Naina talking of her future projects shares, "I'm currently working on a Kannada film, we plan to finish the shoot by February. The film is likely to have a release this year but the producer is yet to take a final call. I have committed to another South project that starts in March." Apart from Vangaveeti, Kadappa, Naina has also associated with other RGV productions like Beautiful, D Company and Dangerous too.

Talking about her association with Ram Gopal Varma, the actress in an earlier conversation with OTTplay had shared, "When I came to Mumbai, I only knew about Bollywood. I didn't even know that multiple industries existed in the South. Among 200 girls at the audition, I was selected and I genuinely didn't know what about me impressed Ram Gopal Varma. I had no clue about Telugu but RGV has introduced such a vast lineup of actors over the years and he knew how to extract worthy performances from them. He groomed me in the best way possible and whatever I'm today, I owe it to him!"