It’s probably the debut starlets dream of. For Soundarya, the daughter of actress Jayamala, it could not have been better with her debut being the film Godfather. The star is basking in the media attention even before her first film release.
“The star cast and the people behind the film speak of its grandeur. With 'Super Star' Upendra, director Sriram, producer K Manju, my mother Jayamala, and ace musician, AR Rahman, one can’t ask for more. Suddenly, I have got the best of all worlds. Now I am thinking, how much higher to go after already reaching so high with my debut,” she says.
A devil and an angel - that is how Soundarya describes her character in 'Godfather'. “I play a girl who is very naughty and at the same time very homely. A mixture of two people in one character,” says Soundarya, who has butterflies in her stomach. “I am in that phase of ‘sweating, jittery, panicky’. Being on the big screen is a different feeling altogether. Though it might not be a big deal, it definitely makes me scared,” she says.
But she would never forget the first compliment coming from the 'Super Star' himself. “I was engrossed in my shot and he was observing me. Just as I finished the scene, he asked everybody present to applaud for having done the shot in one take. That was a good start and a real motivation,” she says.
Being the daughter of an actress, Soundarya always aimed high in filmdom. This newbie was supposed to start with Yograj Bhat’s Laggori opposite Puneeth Rajkumar. But the project was shelved. Then the actress went on to make a foothold in Telugu industry but couldn’t take off. But she didn’t give up and waited for the best. She says. “I had a dream but I didn’t know if it was to be fulfilled with Godfather. I always wanted to start with something big. I was ready to wait even if it was taking time. To my luck, the wait has led to the best,” she beams.
Though Jayamala has spent 40 years of her life in the industry, she never wanted her daughter to be in the limelight. But acting being in Soundarya’s blood, she craved to be in one. “Truly, before 'Godfather' happened, I didn’t know why my mother was reluctant to let me become an actress. I was pretty much taken aback. However, the day I started shooting, I realised my mother never wanted me to see hardships, but for me, hard work has been fruitful, so nothing else counts. I wanted to make a name for myself. Materialistic things never excited me as I grew up with them. I want to stand up on my own,” she says.
She knows for a fact that today, it is because of her mother that she is getting all the attention. But according to her, it is not a cakewalk to be in tinsel town. “To maintain the name of my mother is a tough job because to please everyone is not easy. Somewhere someone is let down. But then, you learn, improvise, grow up and try to keep everybody satisfied,” she says. Even after getting all the attention with her debut, she feels that her attitude has not changed and it will not. “I don’t know why your attitude has to change. At the end of the day, you are a human being. I don’t feel the need to change just because I am an actor or just got famous,” she said.
She is currently enjoying the attention and equally curious about her debut film as she leaves her mother to do the rest. “I don’t have any clue what is in store for me. I have allowed my mother to decide on my next movie,” she concludes.