Tamannaah: There are a lot of misconceptions about me

Actress Tamannaah Bhatia tells you that she prefers to prove her versatility as an actor across different film industries as opposed to finding space only in Bollywood. She adds that people tend to think she is "out of work" because she is not visible enough in Bollywood.

Tamannaah is a phenomenal star in the southern industries with several successful films including "Kandein Kadhalai", "100% Love", the "Baahubali" franchise, "Ayan" and "Paiyaa", but she is yet to leave an impact in Bollywood.

"I have been making a conscious effort of multitasking between genres within the South Indian film industry. I have been away from Bollywood actively to ensure there's more versatility in my creative kitty and to ensure I'm not stereotyped into any particular genre. Versatility is the key to survival. I've always been passionate about cinema and I never wanted to limit myself to any one industry. There a lot of misconceptions about me, to be honest," she told IANS.

"The most bizarre piece of news I read recently was that I am out of employment! There are other stories of me not having a bright future in Bollywood, versus Tollywood. Just to clear the air, I'm working 365 days a year and hence I can't shuffle between multiple industries. I'm not part of the rat race and I don't want to prove a point to anyone. I want to make my mark on my own terms. For me it was only about acting, and not about the industry," Tamannaah claimed.

She also feels somehow her luck has favoured her in the south than in Bollywood, and language was never a barrier for her.

"My thirst for excellence had to be quenched and the South accepted me. As an actor, I will always play my part with full dedication but the results are not in my hands," said Tamannaah.

The actress will be seen playing a Kabaddi coach in the upcoming Telugu film "Seetimaar".

Being a girl who never played any sport before, Tamannaah said that the challenge kicked her to take up the role.

Sharing an insight into her preparation for the role, she said: "I play the coach of the Telangana kabaddi team while Gopichand plays the coach of an Andhra kabaddi team. It is a very challenging and inspiring role. It is a huge tribute to the unsung heroes in sports. I had to prepare and work very hard for this role and it constantly motivated me to give my best. It's my first sports drama and I'm very excited. I did everything I could to look the part. I never imagined that I would get to play kabaddi in my life, let alone in a film."

She added: "I have undergone a complete transformation for this particular role, right from language, technical knowledge of the game, maintaining a good fitness regime, special training sessions and more. Kabaddi is a very disciplined Indian sport. I learnt to be vigilant and focussed on physical and physiological aspects such as strength, endurance, flexibility and agility."

While the actress maintained a special vegetarian, gluten-free diet, she also learnt a new dialect for the film.

"I had to get a hang of the Telangana dialect. I had to learn the Telangana slang. It's really challenging, but Sampath sir is helping me with the dialogue delivery," Tamannaah signed off.

(Arundhuti Banerjee can be contacted at arundhuti.b@ians.in)

Tags: Cinema, Showbiz, Religion