Mannara Chopra has pinned big hopes on upcoming Telugu-Kannada bilingual film Rogue, which is directed by Puri Jagannadh and is slated for release this month-end. Talking about the project in which she plays a singer, Mannara said, “You’ll see a transformed Mannara in the film and all credit goes to Puri sir.
Usually, I‘m a casual dresser but he made me look glamorous, sensuous and equally innocent. I don’t think any other director could have done justice to my role. I consider it a sense of achievement to have worked with him.”
Mannara describes Rogue as a love story with a twist. She said playing a singer came with its own set of challenges. “When I auditioned for the first time, I wasn’t informed about the role or the project. Initially, the film was planned to be made in Telugu and I had no issues with the language.
When I was told it was also going to be shot in Kannada, I freaked out. Kannada was completely alien to me and I wondered how I was going to give lip sync to songs. Puri sir had faith in me and he ensured I got my lip sync right.”
Recalling an incident from Bangkok, she said, “Puri sir recorded my lip sync when I was casually practicing a song in Kannada. He didn’t even tell me he was shooting, but he did that to check if my lip sync was right because he doesn’t waste time on many takes during shooting.”
When Mannara signed her first Telugu film a few years ago, she wasn’t sure of a career in south. “I thought I’d return to Bollywood after my first film. But offers kept pouring and I signed a film with Sunil, followed by this project. I was in a state of shock when I was signed for Rogue, because I couldn’t believe I was going to work one of my favourite filmmakers.”