Actor Tamannaah Bhatia’s latest film, Next Enti, has been a commercial success. Directed by Fanaa and Hum Tum fame director Kunal Kohli, the film talks “openly about love and sex” something which never been done in Telugu cinema, as per Tamannaah.

In a recent chat with The News Minute, Tamannaah shares her experience of working with Kunal Kohli, dealing with criticism and negativity and much more.

On her film Next Enti

“Telugu cinema has changed a lot in the last two years. We are coming up with newer subjects that have been accepted well and the box-office numbers are proof. Next Enti is a very urban film that boldly talks about how we perceive relationships in today’s world. It talks about how women are classified into tags based on their personalities. The story follows the journey of my character. It’s not a regular rom-com because it stresses upon opinions and perspectives.”

“Never have we talked more openly about love and sex on celluloid in Telugu cinema. I can’t do serious films. I want my movies to entertain, empower audience and Next Enti falls in that space. In my career, I’ve mostly played characters that are older than me. I’ve always wanted to play a character who is my age. When Kunal pitched this character, I didn’t want to miss it. More than just the character’s age, I could relate to the personality and even every dialogue.”

On the experience of working with Kunal

“He brought a lot of freshness to the whole project. The narrative style is very similar to Woody Allen’s films. Personally, it was a very challenging film as it features many long takes. There are three and a half minute long shots and we had to shoot as candidly as possible. It was a very enriching experience.”

On working in Queen’s remake and Chiranjeevi’s Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy

“I’ve always wanted to work with Chiranjeevi sir and I’m really glad to have landed this really exciting role in Sye Raa. I feel projects such as Next Enti, That Is Mahalakshmi and Sye Raa mark a new phase in my career. As much as I love dancing and doing commercial films, I want to take up different characters. These films are giving me the opportunity to showcase myself in a very different dimension. Thanks to Baahubali, filmmakers believe I can pull off different characters. The films that I have in my kitty are really special.

Ever since I saw Queen, I wanted to be part of its remake, even though I wasn’t sure if it will be remade. I felt liberated when I saw the original and I hope a lot of Telugu audiences, especially women, feel the same way when they watch our film. I’m blessed to be considered a star but I never see myself as one. Stardom is just the byproduct of the kind of lifestyle we live. I want to be recognized by my work.”

On dealing with criticism and negativity

“I love it when people say and write about such things. Whenever I read such comments, it encourages me. I feel so good and work even harder. Every time someone has written me off, I have returned strongly with better characters. Unless you give up and stop working, nobody can write you off.”

H/T: The News Minute