Meenakshi Chaudhary thought audience won't accept her as a mom in Lucky Bhaskar; talks about Vijay, Dulquer, Mahesh Babu

Meenakshi Chaudhary talks about her splendid 2024, the challenge of playing a mother, and what co-stars Vijay, Dulquer Salmaan, and Mahesh Babu taught her.

She had six film releases in 2024, which is very rare for an actress, and two of them in two different languages – The Goat in Tamil and Lucky Bhaskar in Telugu - turned out to be big blockbusters. In January this year, she had the biggest Telugu hit for Sankranti, Sankranthiki Vasthunam, which grossed over ₹250 crore at the worldwide box office. Rising star Meenakshi Chaudhary, who's seen as a lucky mascot in Telugu cinema, can’t help smiling as she talks about her successes but says that while she feels bad for films that don’t do well, ultimately, it’s up to the audience to decide their fate. In this exclusive chat with Hindustan Times, Meenakshi Chaudhary opens up about her recent success and co-stars. (

Meenakshi Chaudhary starred in Lucky Bhaskar alongside Dulquer Salmaan.

Your latest film with Venkatesh, Sankranthiki Vasthunam, is a blockbuster and done even better than Ram Charan’s Game Changer.

I think Sankranti is definitely the time of the year when people are waiting to see movies, and all the best movies are coming out. It’s a very competitive space, and ours was probably the smallest of the ones that was released. We knew our product was good, but we had not expected the box office success it did and the love it got. As a team, we were over the moon. I think this really proved the fact that audiences craved a great family movie, and this was something that had been missing for the last few years or months.

2024 year was a fantastic year for you, wasn’t it?

I truly, truly, truly am very grateful. It’s all God’s blessings. Whenever I look back and I think about a word that will be able to describe what I have been is nothing short of magic. I’m sure there will be hundreds of others who would be equally qualified or deserving to be in the position I am. But I got the opportunity to be there. I’ve grown so much with every project last year, and it’ll definitely help me evolve better as an actor, and it hopefully reflects in my work in the coming years.

Apparently, now you’re being called a lucky mascot.

I think I’m lucky to be getting all these opportunities because, honestly, I truly believe in the saying that what’s meant for you will come to you. As an actor, I’m genuinely happy to get the roles I’ve gotten. Last year was a milestone year in my career. I’m grateful that early on in my career, I got to be able to portray different types of roles. Many people do not get roles like that until they have had certain years of experience or a certain level of positioning.

What was the one thing you learnt working with Thalapathy Vijay on The GOAT?

Oh my God, his discipline. I’ve never seen anybody so committed to the craft and timing. He would sit on set once he got there. He’s so composed and calm - there may be chaos going on around him, but he never loses the mind space of the character and the space he’s in. And when you see him outside the set, he’s his own self. I love that he could also detach from that, and when he’s in it, he’s in it completely, 100%. He also trusts the director’s vision and he gives in to that completely. And there are very few stars I’ve seen like that. Usually, they give input, but it was so refreshing and nice to see that he trusted the director completely.

And what about Mahesh Babu since you did Guntur Karam?

I didn’t have many scenes, and the film was in a different space altogether. But what I did learn on that set was the commitment. That particular project dragged on for a long time, and there were changes in between. It took more than a year, and I feel like Mahesh Babu’s commitment to stay with that project, finish it, and see its end result is something that is truly commendable. I’ve seen a lot of people just give up, but Mahesh sir was completely invested in it.

What was most challenging for you in Lucky Bhaskar?

Playing a mother! I was worried that people wouldn't accept me in the role of Sumathi if I’m not convincing. I didn’t want to not do justice to Sumathi, and I was grateful that people completely owned Sumathi because she deserved 100 percent of that whole flow and the characterization that was given to her.

It must have been different working with Dulquer Salmaan.

I have always dreamed of being able to do a Malayalam film. I didn’t get to do that as of yet, but I got to work with an actor from that space. Their way of working is completely different, and I’ve always admired that. The best thing about DQ is that he’ll add certain things that are not even there in the scene. He’ll do something that’ll just be a little extra in every scene – I picked this up from him. I try to do that now in my films, and I have. Also, he’s not a native Telugu speaker, but he dubs for his own films. This motivated me to dub for Sankranthiki Vasthunam. This kind of energy definitely rubs off on you.