In a career spanning over two decades, Keerthy Suresh has worked in several film industries, establishing herself as a force to be reckoned with in Tamil and Telugu cinema. She has won a National Award, appeared in blockbusters, and become a well-known face in cinema. With Akka, the upcoming Netflix series, she marks her web series debut. In a candid conversation with Hindustan Times, the actor talks about the role, the show’s unique world, and how she was warned against doing streaming.
On playing a calm ‘gangster’
Akka is a period action drama set in Pernuru, a fictional Telugu town run by women, where three ‘sisters’ rule the criminal underworld. Keerthy plays Bhavani, one such akka of the Pernuru. Talking about what she found challenging about her role, she says, “When you say gangster, you have a different image in my head. But in Akka, Bhavani is very calm, composed, and there is a lot of leadership, but it’s not a lot of murdering people, not always. The energy is extremely different. To understand that was difficult. It’s almost like there is something very royal about her.”
Having made a name for herself in Telugu and Tamil, Keerthy has now begun to pick up Hindi films and shows as well. But she says she is not viewing language as a differentiator in work. “Honestly, I am not thinking about what I have done in Hindi and what I have not. More than that, (I think) is this something that is interesting or exciting as a project? So, if this were a project that I got in Telugu or Tamil, I would definitely do it. Language is secondary. I just want to try different things and roles I haven’t tried before,” she explains.
On film stars doing streaming
{{/usCountry}}Having made a name for herself in Telugu and Tamil, Keerthy has now begun to pick up Hindi films and shows as well. But she says she is not viewing language as a differentiator in work. “Honestly, I am not thinking about what I have done in Hindi and what I have not. More than that, (I think) is this something that is interesting or exciting as a project? So, if this were a project that I got in Telugu or Tamil, I would definitely do it. Language is secondary. I just want to try different things and roles I haven’t tried before,” she explains.
On film stars doing streaming
{{/usCountry}}Having been a National Award winner and a known film star, Keerthy says she was told by people not to do a streaming show as she was ‘a theatrical star’. “They told me, but I just don’t listen to them,” the 34-year-old says with a laugh. Keerthy says that streaming is no longer a poor cousin of cinema as had been perceived for years. “After Covid, things have changed a lot. But even otherwise, I don’t think one (medium) is below the other. Both go hand in hand. It’s important to do some theatrical films, some series, and some films that release on OTT. I love doing a bit of everything, honestly. But, I wouldn’t keep doing things just for the sake of it,” says the actor.
About Akka
Akka also stars Radhika Apte in the lead role alongside Keerthy and is set to premiere on Netflix on October 30. The series features Tanvi Azmi, Mahesh Manjrekar, Anshuman Pushkar and Monica Panwar in key roles alongside the two leads. Akka is the latest project to emerge from the collaboration between Netflix and YRF Entertainment.
Get more updates from Bollywood, Taylor Swift, Hollywood, Music and Web Series along with Latest Entertainment News at Hindustan Times.
Get more updates from Bollywood, Taylor Swift, Hollywood, Music and Web Series along with Latest Entertainment News at Hindustan Times.