Young actress Rupika, who made her debut in Cheluvina Chilipili opposite Pankaj, is all set to enter Telugu film industry with the film Yadartha Prema Katha to be directed by Charan Raj. Rupika has just completed her pre-university course in Surana College.
When City Express interacted with Rupika, she spoke at length about the support she got from her parents, lecturers and friends, her interests and her future plans as an actor and a student.
Her interest in Bharatnatyam (she has been practising dance for the past 14 years) got her an entry into films. “You can say that it prepared me for movies. The dance form taught me the importance of body movements and also the know how of expressing emotions through eyes. I tried to inculcate all these elements in the role I performed,” she says.
She is keen on donning roles of a college student or girl-next-door, as it is easier to get into the skin of characters closer to her own age. But, would that not stereotype her performances, you question and she says: “In my film Beera, I am playing a glamorous character. So, yes, I am challenging my stereotyping.” Her outfits in this movie might surprise her audience, but she takes it in her stride. “The promos are out and I have got positive responses for my looks in Beera. Meanwhile, I would not like to expose and encourage skin show, but be glamorous. There is a vast difference between being glamorous and exposing skin.”
She is grounded even in her plans for the future. Quiz her on the movies she will like to do in the future, pat comes the reply: Movies that convey a strong message to the audience and those which are realistic.
She is realistic even in her outlook and plans for the future; for she is planning to pursue B Com this year and take on the challenge of balancing between her studies and a career in the film industry. “There are some girls in the industry who give up their education for films and later regret for the same. I love to attend classes, go out with friends and hang out with them as other girls do. When I am in class, I am not a film actress but a student. I am also planning to take up MBA course after my graduation,” she says.
Rupika says that her parents, friends and lecturers are pillars of support with all her decisions. So, any plans to head to Bollywood? “I would like to climb up step by step and reach that stage, but for now there are no plans,” she says