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EXCLUSIVE: In North, stardom is for those few stars who have...: Tamannaah Bhatia on fandom in South and North
In an exclusive chat with Pinkvilla, Tamannaah also answered if it was a conscious decision to do more South films over Bollywood.
Tamannaah Bhatia is thrilled and currently basking in the success of her recently released film F3. The Baahubali actress has had her career highs and lows but she thinks it is all about instinct that will either take in the right or wrong direction. In an exclusive chat with Pinkvilla, Tamannaah also shared her views on crazy fandom for South actors.
Asked if it was a conscious decision to do more South films over Bollywood, Tamannaah replies, "I think for me, I always try to choose the best from the work given to me and Baahubali is the best decision out of all. There is no full-fledged way of functioning, but it is an instinct that takes you in the right or wrong directions. However, you can only rely upon your instinct and have to trust that. There are going to be times when it will work out, and at times it won't. I didn't consciously choose South films over Hindi but I chose project-wise. I never looked at any project as South or North Indian."
Made her big red carpet debut at the 75th Cannes Film Festival, Tamannaah Bhatia has an interesting lineup of films including Babli Bouncer by Madhur Bhandarkar and Jee Karda, an Indian web series directed by Arunima Sharma. Tamannaah agrees that it is the right time for the female actresses to experiment and explore roles.
"Definitely it is and for me, I think my priority is to channelise with the factor that I'm versatile and I'm not bogged down by language or by any genre. I'm also doing a film like Babli Bouncer and as we know, Madhur Bhandarkar is popular for strong female lead roles. We have never heard a story about a female bouncer. It is a very male-driven industry and you won't often see females there but it is an existential job. So there are so many worlds and characters to be tapped," says Tamannaah Bhatia who doesn't want to lock herself from experimenting with different genre films.
The Sye Raa actress further adds, "Jee Karda, that also presents me in a very SoBo kind of character which is also a kind of life I have lived in Mumbai. For the first time, I will present myself in my actual environment. I'm trying to do different genres and not lock myself because I think I have the ability to."
India at the time is enjoying its authenticity. It is not about South or North...
Tamannaah Bhatia
The fanbase in the South is crazy and works very differently than what it is in the North. The fans are very protective and connected to their favourite stars. When asked about it, Tamannaah who is an established name in the South Indian cinema replied, "I think it is essential, in South fans are very loyal. I think they have emotion around the artists. For them, it is a very personal and different connection with them. But I feel, that kind of stardom in the North, it is of course there but I see it is there for those few stars who have consolidated themselves for over a period of a decade. That loyalty comes through time."
The pan-Indian film movement is a new trend in Indian cinema. A trend that was set long back by SS Rajamouli with his blockbuster franchise, Baahubali. Sharing her views on the same, Tamannaah tells, "India at the time is enjoying its authenticity. It is not about South or North, which people are talking about but the audience is enjoying mass appeal something that is rooted to us."
Tamannaah Bhatia made her acting debut at the age of 13. During the initial stage of her career and after a few films did not do well at the box office, she consulted a numerologist and changed the spelling of her name.
"I changed my name when I was 16 so it happened when I was very young. I changed it and I have always been open about it but whether that helped me or did not in my career, I don't know. There is no actual way to find out. It is completely in your faith, I think," says Tamannaah Bhatia who still sticks to a no-kissing clause in her contract and is not breaking it anytime soon.
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