Niharika: Want to stay away from glam roles

All eyes are on Niharika Konidela as the Mega daughter debuts with 'Oka Manasu' this June 24. in this chat, the TV show host-turned-female lead opens up about skin show, how she sees the burden of being a Mega actress, and more.  

'Oka Manasu' comes across as a pure love story. Did you accept this film for this reason?

Among great love stories 'Maro Charitra' and 'Githanjali' are counted. I haven't watched the former. In terms of purity and emotional content, 'Oka Manasu' is great like these films. Sometimes, I asked my director if our film has a similarity with these films. Most of time, the lead pair are seen in 80 per cent of the scenes.  .  

Rama Raju's first film was not a commercial success. Didn't you feel it's risky to debut under him?

I didn't watch his first film. I liked this story and my character. The film drives home the message that love is not just that between a girl and a boy, but it could be father-son love, father-daughter love and so on. My character's name is Sandhya. It's a character most girls will relate themselves to.  

If you had so wished, you could have debuted opposite a big star. Why did you choose to debut with up and coming star like Naga Shourya?

It doesn't matter. The script has to be good. If a film is bad, the audience won't like to watch even a big star.  

So, how was it working with Naga Shourya?

At first, I wondered if he is a reserved person. But gradually, as scenes involving only us were shot at a stretch for four weeks, he helped me with his acting tips.  

Has Chiranjeevi watched the movie?

He is going to watch on the 23rd, most probably. Or it will be on the release date, at home. All of us family members watch every Mega actor's movie together.  

Coming from the Mega family, is the pressure building up? How are you handling it?

Recently, some 20 fans met dad. He called me up (without their knowledge) and and let me listen to their words. They were telling him that they are glad a Mega family daughter is debuting as a female lead and that they will love me as their daughter. I was relieved on listening to this.

How have the Mega fans reacted to your decision to turn a heroine?

They are embracing me as their sister. I know how heroines are viewed. I want to stay away from glamorous roles. On the other hand, I have to do a good job because family background will help only for the first film.

Daughters of actors like Kamal Haasan started off well, but now they are doing skin show. Will you ever do skin show?

I won't do anything that Mega fans and my family won't like. I myself don't like to do skin show.  

But actresses who don't do skin show have no longevity in the industry. Aren't you worried about that?

Quantity is not important. My only priority is quality. Even if I do just two films, they should stand out for quality. I will not stick to one language. If offers come from Malayalam and Tamil, I will do them. I hope they are going to come.  

Did you take acting tips from the actors in your family?

I watch their films a lot. I learn acting tips by watching them in those films. After Rama Raju garu gave me the narration and I agreed to do the film, I had one month's time before the shoot commenced. I took a crash course in acting from Aruna Biskhu garu.  

Out of the Mega family, who is your favourite actor and actress? Do you have any role model?

I don't differentiate between actor and actress. They both do the same thing: acting. I don't have any role model as such, but Kamal Haasan is someone I look up to.  Among actresses, I like Bollywood actress Kajol a lot.  

Are you you going to continue your stint with television? How has the transformation from being a TV show host to an actress been?

It's through television that I have reached out to so many. It will be important. For a TV show, one got to be bubbly and talk at a high pitch. As an actress, one has to mold one's body language accordingly.  

Why did Naga Shourya have to say that he is not dating you?

Would he have said it if the interviewer didn't ask him?  How would I know why he had to say that?