As 'Bro' heads for theatrical release worldwide on 28 July, the actor talks about her role in the most-awaited flick of the year.
Published Jul 18, 2023 | 6:35 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 10, 2023 | 1:01 PM
Priya Prakash Varrier will next be seen in Pawan Kalyan-starrer 'Bro'. (Facebook)
Priya Prakash Varrier will be seen as Veena in the upcoming Telugu movie Bro.
Featuring Powerstar Pawan Kalyan, Sai Dharam Tej, and Ketika Sharma in the lead roles, this fantasy drama harps on the subject of time travel and the theory of relativity.
As Bro heads for a theatrical release worldwide on 28 July, Priya Prakash closeted with media personnel in Hyderabad on Tuesday, 18 July.
The actress shared the details of an incident on the film sets which left her in panic.
‘Bro’ poster. (Sai Dharam Tej/ instagram)
Priya Prakash unknowingly sat on the chair meant for Pawan Kalyan. When he arrived, she instantly stood up in panic and learnt that she took the wrong seat.
She recalled, “However, Kalyan sir took it easy. We didn’t interact much on the sets. I restricted myself to greeting him with ‘namaste’ because I was mostly nervous. They’re always five people guarding him around. Moreover, I don’t have many scenes with him.”
The actor added, “Pawan Kalyan sir has an ever-charming aura. He’s calm and composed. His arrival on the sets makes everyone chaotic. But he just walks in saying, ‘Ah, tell me what you want me to do?’ And the shot would be wrapped in one single take.”
“As he would walk away after the shot, people around him would run helter-skelter. But he would seem so gentle. The biggest lesson I learnt from him is — whatever stature you achieve in life, you should always be a down-to-earth being. It takes you to places.”
Bro is one of the most-anticipated films of the year. It is bankrolled by People Media Factory.
Samuthirakani is the writer-director. The screenplay is by Trivikram and the music is by S Thaman.
A still of Priya Prakash Varrier. (Priya.p.varrier/ instagram)
After making her presence felt in the Telugu film industry with her previous two films Check (2021) and Ishq (2021), Priya Prakash bets big on Bro.
She has a few combination scenes with Pawan Kalyan and Sai Dharam Tej.
“My character arc here is quite different from that of my previous roles. Veena is a simple and homely girl. Who is her love interest and what does she offer to the story is to be seen in theatres,” she smiled.
After shaking the nation with her famous wink, the actress admitted she made a few bad choices when she first entered showbiz.
“I come from a family which has no film background. Initially, I had nobody to guide me through.”
She further added, “After my wink went viral, many people around me started saying too many things. I didn’t know what to do or who to listen to. I had none to guide me. Yes, I have made a few mistakes and bad choices. But now, I am making the right choices and making myself better.”
Actor Priya Prakash Varrier. (Facebook)
Did the “wink girl” tag become a burden for her or was it an added fillip to her career?
Priya Prakash quipped that it depends on how one perceives it.
“For me, it is a blessing. I am grateful that it happened. It’s been like two years and just two films, but the Telugu people know me because of the ‘wink girl’ tag. I got global recognition because of that.”
When asked if she made some money after venturing into films, she replied: “Well, I’m into branding, influencing, and other stuff. I’m doing great on social media, too. Acting has been my childhood dream. I want to perform different roles. That dream is still a little far away, but I am working on that.”
Priya Prakash Varrier has been a huge fan of Allu Arjun. Indeed, in many instances, she expressed her admiration for Arjun’s work.
Actor Priya Prakash Varrier. (Facebook)
Now that she worked with Pawan Kalyan in Bro, would she choose Pawan Kalyan over Allu Arjun? Well, Priya Prakash plays it safe.
“Pawan Kalyan garu is definitely in a different league. I happened to meet him a couple of times — for SIIMA and Filmfare events. He is cool. We look at him as a legend. I do admire him for what he is and look up to him.”
The actor shows no disparities between Telugu and Malayalam movies. “Telugu cinema is known for its scale and commercial viability. But Malayalam cinema is more content-oriented,” she pointed out.
She further added, “Barriers are now being broken after our audiences started watching world cinema — whether they understand the language or not. Now that we got an Oscar (RRR), I believe we can do anything.”
