Keerthy Suresh on Dasara: I couldn’t understand anything in a four-hour script narration

Not many believed that Keerthy Suresh could pull off something as iconic as Mahanati prior to its release. Director Nag Ashwin felt she would be apt to play legendary actress Savithri on screen after watching her performance in the Dhanush starrer Thodari. His conviction paid off eventually and helped the actress bag a National award as well.

However, it hasn’t been easy going for Keerthy after the film’s phenomenal success. She drifted away from commercial cinema briefly by taking up films like Penguin, Miss India, Good Luck Sakhi and Saani Kaditham. Except for Saani Kaditham, none of the other choices worked in her favour.

Surprisingly, it’s the regular mainstream films that proved lucky for her - Rang De, Sarkar, Sarkaru Vaari Paata, to name a few. Now, there are high expectations surrounding her next release, Dasara, for which she reunites with her Nenu Local co-star Nani, in which she plays a Telangana girl Vennela. In the press meet held in Hyderabad, she shared her experiences of working on the film.

Also read: Nani on Dasara: I may sound overconfident but I can guarantee mass hysteria in theatres 

“It was Nani who suggested my name for Dasara. I am excited to watch both of us together on screen after Nenu Local. I got Srikanth Odela to narrate the script twice. He didn’t like me initially (laughs) and I am now his favourite. I didn’t understand anything in the first four-hour narration; it took me another hearing to know what the film was about,” she said.

“Though the Telangana slang was difficult to grasp initially, a language coach Srinath helped me with it. Vennela is a character everyone would relate with,” Keerthy added. When asked about the difficulty of finding roles that match up to Mahanati, “Emotional connect is something I look forward to, in every script. After Mahanati, I experienced that with Dasara,” she replied.

“I had a good time working with Jhansi garu, who played my mother. For Dhekshith, Dasara will be a feather in his cap and this is just the tip of the iceberg. I am a big fan of Sathyan Sooryan’s brownish visual tone for the film. Santhosh Narayanan has come up with a terrific music score. Several supporting actors in Dasara treated me like their own sister,” Keerthy stated, while leaving the event mid-way to catch a flight.

Also read: Director Srikanth Odela on Dasara: I added commercial ingredients to a story inspired by true incidents