Holding her own even amidst established actors like Aishwarya Rai Bachchan to Adivi Sesh and Dulquer Salmaan, Sobhita Dhulipala shares her approach to her career
She was seen as Princess Vanathi in the recent blockbuster Ponniyin Selvan – 2. And soon after, she made a mark as Tara Khanna in the second season of Made in Heaven. Though both her roles had her appear amidst a stellar star cast, Sobhita Dhulipala made an impression with her screen presence and acting chops.
Born in Tenali, Andhra Pradesh, to a teacher and a marine engineer, she grew up absorbed in academics, finding comfort in dusty bookshelves as opposed to the dazzling lure of television. In fact, she was well into her teens when she watched her first-ever set of movies, the Harry Potter series. At 16 years, possessed by the urgency of making a detour from the predictable course her life was taking in Visakhapatnam, she moved to Mumbai to attend college.
From her debut in Raman Raghav 2.0 to her latest in Mani Ratnam’s magnum opus, the lovely lass from Visakhapatnam has made her mark on the silver screen as well as in the minds of moviegoers with her unique roles, flair for the different and arresting persona. In a conversation with WOW! the actor speaks about her work, life and what attracts her in a role.
Made in Heaven made quite an impact with its plotlines and still makes headlines!
It granted me visibility as an artiste and for that, I’m thankful. We started shooting for Made in Heaven in 2017. Five years and another season later, I can tell you that I’m in the wonderful process of coming into my own. And Tara has definitely been a positive influence in this journey.
How was it working on Ponniyin Selvan amidst a huge star cast and with a legendary director?
I love to dance and the movie gave me a platform to explore my passion for the medium. It was my first Tamil movie and to work with a person like Mani Sir is any actor’s dream come true. Anyone who has read the books knows that Vanathi is a very shy and timid person, but Mani Sir saw this very innocent character and redefined her innocence. It was never coy or cute. It was completely unfiltered, unabashed and childlike. For me, the discovery that innocence can be interpreted thus and can be showcased so beautifully was a big takeaway from the movie.
You are known for your unusual roles, be it in Goodachari and Major in Telugu or Kurup in Malayalam. You are far from a coy Indian heroine. Does that make your unfit for most roles written for Indian actresses?
I would love to do silly roles. (laughs) I love to dance, I love action. Who doesn’t love humor or comedy? It would be great to break out of that perception of being a serious actor! Actors are transient beings and I don’t wear this very heavy hat on my head. I do my best, speak my heart and leave the rest!
You’ve done both web series and movies, how different or similar is it to work on different platforms?
Work is work, be it a streaming series or a movie. Languages too, when you work on a movie, they aren’t that different. In a set on smaller movie, the resources might be difficult to accrue, so the style of working might be different, that’s all. That apart, passionate people tend to make everything they do interesting.
How do you look back at your career? From Vizag to Mumbai, it’s quite a fairytale!
I’m human, some days I feel great and some days I don’t feel that great. So actively and consciously, I try and practice gratitude every day. I mean, I’m a girl from Vizag who had no connection whatsoever with the film world; so, every opportunity I get, every dream I fulfil and every room I walk into which is packed with incredible people makes me go wow. I’m just grateful for everything, that’s all. It makes me wonder, why did I think this to be such a farfetched dream?
What kind of characters do you see yourself doing?
The medium is of no consequence to an actor, the approach remains the same. It has always been important to me to be part of content that moves me and is authentic. I want to be as amused by my own choices as anybody else.
What is next on cards for you?
Whatever movies came to me, I picked ones that appealed to me the most and gave them my hundred percent. There is a lot of perception built around me, all I know is that I give everything my best and never look back. I hope that I get to be a part of good commercial cinema as I would love to explore and experience different genres of movies. I really enjoy watching a well-made commercial movie, so am looking forward to actually starring in one.
“I really enjoy watching a well-made commercial movie, so am looking forward to actually starring in one”
