The Anushka Shetty Interview: “Bhaagamathie is one of my most challenging roles”
In a brief interview with Only Kollywood, Anushka Shetty talks about her role in Bhaagamathie and the conviction she had in director Ashok of Pilla Zamindar fame, and also the life after Baahubali: The Conclusion.
Anushka Shetty’s unembellished costumes and minimal makeup for the press conferences have already grabbed the attention of the media. Her simplistic nature reflects in her answers.
After the massive box-office blockbuster in Baahubali: The Conclusion, which made her character Devasena a household name, Anushka is currently gearing up for the release of Bhaagamathie. “It’s neither a period nor a 
horror film. It falls in the thriller genre, and the proceedings happen in contemporary times. I play an IAS officer in the film. Bhaagamathie is undoubtedly one of my most challenging roles,” says Anushka without divulging much about the film, which is produced by UV Creations and will be presented by KE Gnanavel Raja’s Studio Green and Abi and Abi Pictures.
The script of Bhaagamathie was narrated to Anushka five years back, and she immediately gave her nod to the project. But what caused the enormous delay in the film? “The entire shooting happened as a normal film. Otherwise, I’m the only person to be blamed for the delay. Since I had to begin shooting for Baahubali, I had to postpone Bhaagamathie a bit. Then, immediately, I had to shoot for Rajinikanth’s Lingaa and Size Zero, for which I underwent an extreme physical transformation. My weight has been on and off ever since I worked in Size Zero. So, the delay got extended,” explains Anushka.
Although Anushka has been seen in a string of female-oriented scripts, she doesn’t believe in the concept. “I don’t understand what ‘women-centric’, ‘female-centric’ scripts mean. All I look for when a director narrates a script to me is how convincing the presentation is. If I’m sure about the script, I will give it my 100% percent. We are trying to take a good story to audiences, who are very well aware these days,” said Anushka.
Anushka says a failure of a film doesn’t bother her so much. “It’s part of the job. I don’t take successes to my head too. It’s important to stay balanced and focus on your work. If you brood over your failures, it will impede your enthusiasm.”
Asked about the relationship rumors with her Baahubali co-star Prabhas, Anushka says, “There’s nothing between Prabhas and me except a beautiful friendship. But I can’t call him my brother. How can everyone be my brother? (laughs). He’s a very good friend.”
Bhaagamathie will be released simultaneously in Tamil and Telugu on January 26th worldwide.
