Roopa Koduvayur | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
After her Telugu cinema debut Uma Maheshwar Ugra Rupasya (Umur) In 2020, when Roopa Koduvayur was asked if she had a wish list of directors she would like to work with, one of the first names she mentioned was Mohankrishna Indraganti. Four years later, she is the female lead in the director’s Telugu comedy Sarangapani Jatakam With Priyadarshi Pulikonda. “I think I’ve revealed it,” she says during this interview at the Sridevi Movies office in Hyderabad.
Roopa, who grew up in Vijayawada, is a doctor, currently pursuing her MD in Internal Medicine in London, after which she intends to study Medical Oncology. She is also a trained Bharatnatyam and Kuchipudi dancer. “I don’t like going to the gym. Getting on the treadmill and working out while listening to the same playlist doesn’t excite me. Anyone who knows me will tell you how my face lights up after two hours of dancing. This is a reflection of my happiness. I use my time to do what makes me happy – dance, cinema and medical education – and I’m lucky that my parents support me.’
Post release agedShe well remembers the feedback she received on her work even when she was a final year MBBS student. She recalls, “The response to the film was so overwhelming that it made me think.” “I got the MBBS seat on merit and I value my education. I am determined not to give up on my dream of becoming a medical oncologist, a dream that has grown stronger over the years, especially since my mother is a cancer survivor. If I was going to take a short break from acting in films, I was determined to do good work that was worth my time.
Director Mohankrishna Indraganti and Roopa Koduvayur on the sets of ‘Sarangapani Jathakam’. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Director Mohankrishna Indraganti had tweeted after the release of UMUR, praising the film and his work; The opportunity to work with him came much later. “I had just returned from London, where I am pursuing my medical course, when I got a call from her. He asked if I would be willing to come to his office to hear the story. I went expecting to be auditioned for a role.”
Rupa was surprised when the director narrated the story. Sarangapani Jatakam over coffee and asked if she was interested in playing the lead role, named Maithili. Roopa wanted to know why she thought she could play the character, but she saved the question for later on the set. “After filming some parts of the movie, I asked him and he said my job in aged That was enough to convince him. I also learned that he watches actors’ interviews to see them. Maithili in the film is an independent, simple and kind personality and she felt I could do justice to it.
The advantage of speaking Telugu also went in Roopa’s favour, as she had to speak the language at a fast pace for the film. “Actually, during dubbing I realized how fast I spoke my lines; “At times I found it difficult to match that speed to achieve the required lip sync,” she says.
Roopa Koduvayur | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Got to learn a lot along the way. “I thought I did a good job. But Indraganti sir pointed towards minor improvements. For example, I didn’t know that ‘Tarapuna’ (on behalf of) is an Urdu-inflected Telugu pronunciation and the pure Telugu word is ‘Tarafuna’.
Rupa looked back Sarangpani… Script reading sessions and workshops helped him hone his craft, which gave him satisfaction. “It was like going back to school,” she says. “When a director explains the nuances of a character and when we practice dialogues with our co-stars, it becomes easier on the set. I also saw how my co-stars Harsh, Vennela Kishore and Priyadarshi work. Naresh sir is an expert in improvisation and while working with him, I needed to think on my feet and deliver results.
In the film he is a manager in a car showroom. To get her body language right, Roopa visited some car showrooms in Vijayawada. “Managers speak politely to potential customers. I learned some of his methods.”
Roopa has also worked in two Tamil films. Neelira And yamkathagi, NeeliraProduced by Karthik Subbaraj and directed by Sri Lankan Tamil filmmaker Somitharan, it was screened at the recently concluded International Film Festival of India, Goa. “The story unfolds one night and I have a good role in it,” she narrates. Yamakathagi, Peppin, directed by George, is a tough social film based on a rural backdrop. “Both these films have given me a chance to act. I am happy with the work I got.
published – December 05, 2024 03:48 PM IST
