Interview: Trisha Krishnan
By: Simran Mody, India Correspondent
Yet another South Indian actress will be trying her hand at Hindi cinema, as Tamil and Telugu film star Trisha Krishnan makes her Bollywood debut this weekend opposite Akshay Kumar in Priyadarshan’s comedy, Khatta Meetha. Not to be confused with the 1977 film of the same name, Khatta Meetha is actually a remake of the 1989 Malayalam production of Vellanakalude Nadu (which was also directed by Priyadarshan and starred Mohanlal and Shobana). The satirical comedy about governmental corruption features Akshay Kumar as a struggling construction worker who suddenly has to professionally deal with a former girlfriend who now hates him. That girlfriend is played by Trisha Krishnan, who talked with the press last week in promoting Khatta Meetha.
But as Trisha takes the typical route from South Indian cinema to Bollywood, she said her Hindi film debut is anything but.
“It’s my first Hindi film, and I can’t expect to have everything that appeals to me,” she told the press. “It’s definitely not a film where I am singing and dancing around trees, but it’s good enough for a launch, and Priyan has projected me very well. It’s the remake of a very, very old film he had done. It’s a love story, but Akshay’s comedy would be the highlight of the film.”
The comedy indeed centers around Akshay, who dreams big but cannot make them a reality since he never has enough money to pay bribes. To make matters worse, the new municipal commissioner is an ex-girlfriend (played by Trisha) who can no longer stand the thought of him, let alone work with him professionally. But off-screen, Trisha’s sentiments were the opposite of the ones her character possessed in the film.
“I am not doing comedy in the film; my role is pretty much serious,” she humbly stated to the press. “So it’s a very nice balance because Akshay plays a very funny guy.”
Another guy she has respect for is Priyadarshan. Not only did the director help Trisha make her Bollywood debut but it was Priyadarshan who introduced the actress to South Indian audiences in the 2002 Tamil film Laysa Laysa, which starred Shaam and R. Madhavan.
“Priyan launched me in the South, so we know each other and are family friends too,” she informed the press. “When he moved to Bollywood and started doing Hindi films, he had told me that we should do something together later and that he would call if something really interesting came up.”
Well, something interesting finally came up, and here she is making her Bollywood debut eight years into her acting career. Alas, better late than never, she says, as Trisha believes this year was the perfect time to dive right into Bollywood.
“No regrets at all about starting late in Bollywood,” Trisha told reporters. “In fact, to tell you the truth, there were some films that I got so close to signing but then refrained from doing that. Now I am glad about my decision because, after they released, I became even surer that I didn’t want to do such films. Everything happens for the good.”
Of course, even though she has no regrets about making her Bollywood debut after a solid acting run in Tamil and Telegu cinema, Trisha’s transition to Hindi film was not easy, mostly because she has to brush up on India’s national language.
“I can read and write Hindi very well. The only problem is living in the South, especially in Chennai. I had not been speaking Hindi for the last 10 to 15 years,” she candidly stated to the press. “But I think I’ve done 10 to 15 Telugu movies and I still don’t know the language at all. My Hindi is, any day, far better than that.”
Let us hope the same can be said about her Bollywood career, which launches on July 23rd as Khatta Meetha hits theaters worldwide.
