Actors are being celebrated for their talent in Telugu cinema now: Shivani Rajashekar

Shivani Rajashekar, who will soon be seen in Kota Bommali PS, says the concepts of ‘hero’ and ‘heroine’ don’t seem as important anymore.

Shivani Rajashekar has worked in Telugu and Tamil cinema since her debut in 2021 with Adbhutham. However, thanks to her celeb parents - Rajashekar and Jeevitha - she knew the inside outs of the film industry much before that. The actor says that she has seen a shift in the way the audience views Telugu cinema now.

Shivani Rajashekar talks about the changing trends in Telugu cinema.

“The trend (in terms of audience engagement) is slowly undergoing a shift in Tollywood,” she said at a press meet, adding, “More than the concepts of ‘hero’ and ‘heroine’ the audience recognises actors for their worth today. Actors are being celebrated for their talent.”

On playing down-to-earth roles

“I haven’t donned any makeup for my next film, Kota Bommali PS,” said Shivani, talking about her look in the film. She added, “I was more than happy to show off my skin and as the shoot advanced, my confidence only multiplied. What’s more, it was a ball to talk in Srikakulam slang to pull off the role.”

Following in her father’s footsteps

The Telugu remake of the Malayalam hit, Nayattu, sees her play a police constable. “My father has played a lot of cop roles in his career and we have extended family who have been in the police force. It was fun to take suggestions from my dad for my look. He always advises me to live in the moment and be so involved in the character that it doesn’t feel like I’m acting. This technique has served me well,” she said.

Her upcoming film

Kota Bommali PS is hitting screens on November 24. Apart from Shivani Rajashekar, the Teja Marni directorial also stars Srikanth, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Rahul Vijay, Murli Sharma and others. “I haven’t seen the Malayalam original, as I did not want to be influenced by it. Changes have been made to the film to bring in Telugu nativity, it’s more of an adaptation than a true-blue remake,” said Shivani.

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