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Tamil tongue in Maratha cheek

For Maharashtrian Srushti Dange, 2017 will be a year in which she will be acting in Tamil films. With four releases lined up in Kollywood and a debut in Telugu and Malayalam industries as well, Srushti has reason to smile. “The year began on a positive note. On January 1, I received the MGR-Sivaji Award for my role in Dharmadurai,” she gushes. “Next, I am really looking forward to my movies this year with great directors and co-stars.”

For the actor who has a diploma in journalism from Mithibai College, Mumbai, acting in plays was a hobby. She also attended a three-month course at Anupam Kher’s Actor Prepares school. “I realised at the end of the course that acting was something I really enjoyed,” she recalls. And when she was spotted in a commercial, someone suggested her to director Mysskin and she took up the offer to do the Tamil movie Yuddham Sei.

Then she took a two-year break to finish her studies and returned with another Tamil film, Megha. “I never imagined I would be a part of southern cinema. I had not seen any regional movies, but had watched Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan’s Hindi movies. I feel very lucky to have found my way here and worked with directors who honed my skills. Tamil cinema has groomed me as an actor and a person. Though Mumbai is my janma bhoomi, Chennai is my karma bhoomi,” she says.

The actor has learnt fluent Tamil. “During Dharmadurai, Tamannaah and Vijay Sethupathy were astounded when I spoke to them in Tamil,” she grins. “I owe it to the director of Megha, who insisted I speak only in Tamil on sets. After that, I continued learning out of my own interest.”
She enjoys surprising people. “When I wore pavadai-dhavani in my films with conviction, many thought I could not carry off a Western look. Little did they know that in Mumbai, I practically live in jeans,” she chuckles.

After Achamindri opposite Vijay Vasanth was well received, Srushti is looking forward to Mupparimanam, Kaala Koothu, Chatru and Saravanan Irukka Bayamaen in Tamil. She will also step into Tollywood with a film opposite Bharath, and in Mollywood with a Mohanlal-Allu Sirish combo flick.

​“I am in no hurry. I am enjoying my stint here. When I first came to the south, my mom and me found many similarities in the way we Marathis conduct our ceremonies, festivals, pujas, weddings, Ganesh Chaturthi and the general attitude of people. I feel at home here. I’m taking it slow, being choosy and stabilising myself with a good line-up of films,” she says.

Source: The New Indian Express