How a Kuchipudi performance by Jr NTR in his childhood led to Sreeleela learning classical dance years later

On Jagapathi Babu's show Jayammu Nischayammu Raa, Sreeleela's mother, Swarnalatha, spoke about being inspired by Jr NTR in his childhood.

Jr NTR is one of Tollywood’s top stars today, and he was somewhat of a child prodigy even before he made it big in films. The actor debuted as a child artist in the 1997 film Bala Ramayanam, and would also give Kuchipudi performances in India and abroad. Sreeleela’s mother, Swarnalatha, spoke on Jagapathi Babu’s talk show, Jayammu Nischayammu Raa, about how one such performance left a profound impression on her.

Sreeleela's mother spoke about how Jr NTR's performance inspired her profoundly.

Jr NTR’s childhood performance leads to Sreeleela learning dance

On the show, Jagapathi showed some childhood pictures of Jr NTR performing on stage and receiving awards in the 1990s. Looking at them, Swarnalatha said, “This photo is the reason why I decided that if I ever had a girl child, I would ensure she was classically trained in dance.”

When asked if she ever spoke to Tarak when he was that age, she said, “In 1997, there was a TANA (Telugu Association of North America) meeting in Los Angeles. I remember seeing him dance there. I even told him that because of him, I want to ensure my child also learns classical dance.”

A couple of years after the performance, 18-year-old Jr NTR debuted on-screen as a lead actor with VR Prathap’s 2001 film Ninnu Choodalani. He recently debuted in Bollywood with Ayan Mukerji’s War 2, co-starring Hrithik Roshan and Kiara Advani.

Sreeleela’s life and career

Sreeleela was, incidentally, born the same year Jr NTR debuted in films in Detroit, Michigan, US. True to her word, Swarnalatha trained her in Bharatnatyam. In 2017, she debuted as a child artist in the Telugu horror film Chitrangada. In 2019, when she was 18 years old, she debuted as a lead in the Kannada film Kiss. Her Telugu debut came in 2021 with Pelli SandaD.

Sreeleela was last seen in Robinhood and Junior this year. She will soon star in Ustaad Bhagat Singh, Mass Jathara, and Parasakthi, apart from debuting in Hindi with Anurag Basu’s Kartik Aaryan-starrer.