Y Sunita Chowdhary
Salony Luthra calls herself a reluctant actor and why not? She has not been a part of the masala films that release each Friday, it wasn’t her choice. A theatre actor, she has done Sarabham and Oliyum Oliyum and American films Turned out and Forbidden. This July 4, she makes her Telugu movie debut title Bhanumati Ramakrishna that will be streamed on AhA. It is directed by first-timer Srikanth Nagothi. Speaking to Klapboardpost.com, Salony finds herself a lot similar to the character she is playing. Like Bhanumati, Salony’s father too encouraged her to find her own path. Hers is a family full of academicians and engineers and she is perhaps the only one who chose arts as her career.
The Shimla girl who has made Mumbai her home says, “I did MBA and was good with that too and I worked in corporate companies and felt something was missing. I have done my education because that was the ground rule in the house, to get a degree and then do what I wanted. I want to appeal to more people, not to overlook education, it gives you so much confidence and makes you a better actor. As an artiste, I don’t look down upon education and my choice of films were more or less influenced by it, I always did socially relevant films. I finished doing theatre and went to Pondicherry for workshops called Aadi Sakthi. I totally believe in the process of honing myself as an actor. You don’t walk into a set like a star, you take it as a character. Being in a theatre, helped me in the process of being Bhanumathi; it helped me have a foundation and helped me connect.”
Salony met Naveen Chandra and says her association with him has been special. You have to understand certain dynamics of a film set and since it is her first Telugu film, her friendship with Naveen helped. She also reveals she isn’t a social media person at all, because of promotions she is active otherwise she checks her account once in two or three months. The girl in the film is in her thirties, not married yet and many women can identify with it. Society has a problem too when a girl is not married and has reached 30. “True, we are made to sound as if we are the biggest losers in life. At 30, men are made to feel like a stud. For girls, choosing a life partner is a big thing, it isn’t like buying an ice cream. The director has sensitively handled it. When a woman gets married and when she is financially independent by then, how much can she contribute is something to be thought over. The dynamics should change. They should be allowed to be what they want, it should be equal for men and women,” she avers.
Bhanumati is a journey of a girl who is independent, educated and wants to do something out of her life. She is known for the choices she makes and also her cultural values. She is thirty when women think they have it all but when something comes crashing down, she loses her confidence and starts questioning and doubting herself. She is a child at heart and follows her happiness and for the outsiders, she is a strong and independent woman. She takes her job and herself very seriously but later you see that she derives pleasure from doing little things like going for a drive or eating out or interacting with a simple man. “Let us try to be the best versions of ourselves, have a nice life, let your heart feel happy and not have a checklist. I should do this and not do this. Bhanumati comes from a different social background but falls for Ramakrishna who is an absolute contrast to her. They bring about a change in each other’s life. Her father brings her up as a responsible girl and she makes the right choices and does the right things,” says Salony.
Why dislike mediocre people? “When we are not giving our best, there would not be any enjoyment. The entire narrative can be understood when you watch the film. In the film she is making fun of herself, I have a conventional name. In daily life, there are so many Ramakrishnas, and she alludes to the typical Ramakrishna who is happy with his life. It’s a beautiful narrative and the director followed my body of work and offered me this story. Mine is content-driven cinema. As an artist, your performance and language shouldn’t be a barrier,” she adds. Srikanth approached her in 2015 for another movie in Mumbai and at that time she didn’t want to do that film. It was too dark and she didn’t want to dabble with it at that time. Srikanth has been in touch with her for so many years pitching some film or the other and Salony told him that they will work together when she connects with the character.
“Now you will see only Bhanumati. I did intense work all the while and now I wanted to try a feel-good factor with a happy vibe. It resonated with me. Just as Bhanumati, my father too made me find my own path with a lot of responsibility. Bhanumati is also a very thought out person. She felt her life had ended and she didn’t know what better path was awaiting. Everyone is beautiful and you need the right timing to meet each other and this is when she finds faith in life. I am lucky to have worked with great directors because independent cinema is incomplete without a right director. I have done strong female characters and that is what stood up for me in Telugu also. I hope people like and connect. It is an empowering film.” Finally asking her if it isn’t OTT forcing people to watch interesting cinema in the lockdown times, she says she can’t agree more. “Until now people had a thing for commercial cinema and this couldn’t have been launched at a better time. I came here because it was a powerful medium to connect with.”
