Priya Prakash Varrier on Bro: Pawan Kalyan’s humility was a life lesson for me

Pawan Kalyan, Sai Dharam Tej’s fantasy drama, Bro, written and directed by Samuthirakani, is releasing worldwide on July 28. Produced by People Media Factory in collaboration with ZEE Studios, the film has screenplay and dialogues by Trivikram. The film marks Priya Prakash Varrier’s return to Telugu cinema two years after Chandrasekhar Yeleti’s thriller Check and Teja Sajja’s Ishq.

In a chat with Telugu media, she expressed her happiness about returning to the industry. While Priya really liked the Tamil original Vinodhaya Sitham and gave the look test for the remake many months ago, she presumed she wasn’t getting the part. Much to her delight, Samuthirakani confirmed her presence in Bro later. Working with big stars is indeed a big deal for me, she shares.

She calls it a blessing to share screen space with Pawan Kalyan right in the beginning of her career. Priya admits there is an aura around him, something she can’t put to words. “When he was on the sets, it was fun seeing him. I have many scenes with both the stars of the film Pawan Kalyan and Sai Dharam Tej. I play a simple, homely girl Veena and she’ll have a unique look.”

After her famous wink in Oru Adaar Love, not many of her choices have clicked at the box office but she has taken these results in her stride. Being a newcomer without any background in the industry to guide her, she was overwhelmed by the suggestions people had after the stardom. “I may have made mistakes and bad choices but I am trying to get better with every opportunity.”

Bro is quite different from Vinodhaya Sitham in terms of scale, storytelling, owing to Pawan Kalyan’s presence. “The duration is longer, there are more sequences and I’ll be a part of several crucial segments. Pawan Kalyan generally finished his scenes in a single take and he’s so grounded despite all the attention and fame. It was a life lesson to be grounded as him.”

Priya didn’t get much time to interact with Pawan Kalyan and her conversations were limited to a namaste. There was a brief element of panic when she had unknowingly sat on the chair that was meant for him but everything went smoothly, the actress adds. “Samuthirakani, the director, has a lot of clarity and he tells us what he wants, there’s no need to improvise.”

Sai Dharam Tej was more of a friendly figure on sets and she remembers how they were pulling each other's leg. “He would make fun of me - always trying to get out of the mood. He is that naughty child on the sets. He had a lot of time to spend and chat on the sets and I made really good friends.” She thanks the production house for being accommodative with her requests and travels.