I got caught when i bunked: Ritu Varma

For someone who hails from a family of academic excellence, acting was the last thing on Ritu Varma’s mind during college, she tells Suhas Yellapantula
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Actress Ritu Varma is currently the toast of Tollywood after she stunned viewers with her performance in recent blockbuster Pellichoopulu. Post the film’s success, Ritu has offers galore and is climbing up the ladder at an unprecedentedly fast pace. While most people associate Ritu with her glamourous looks and acting skills, not many are aware that she was also a good student. Brought up in Hyderabad, Ritu did her intermediate at Villa Marie College for Women in Hyderabad and engineering at Malla Reddy Engineering College. The 26-year-old actress reflects on her student days and explains why it helped her in her chosen career.

What made you take up engineering?
I never thought I’d be an engineer. As a kid, I wanted to do a lot of things. I wanted to be an architect, an interior designer, fashion designer, etc. Finally I got into engineering but even after I did engineering, I got into acting. So it all happened by chance.

What were you like in college?
I was not an introvert but I was not very outgoing at the same time. I was probably a mix of both. But I was very active. Ever since school, I would take part in extra-curricular activities and was always involved in college events.

How was your equation with your faculty members?
It was quite good since I was good at studies. However, my friends and I used to bunk class quite a bit so there was always the occasional confrontation with them.

What were you like in class? Were you a nerd or a backbencher?
Neither actually. I was not the nerdy type at all. But I was good at studies, right from the start. Education was always important to me because my mom is an educationist. She runs a school in Hyderabad. My father was also a university topper.  My sister Megha and I didn’t have any pressure from our parents but we knew that we had to study well and get good scores. It was something that was ingrained in us right from our school days.

You mentioned that you made a lot of friends in college. Do you still stay in touch with them?
We are still in touch but everybody is in different fields and in different cities, so it’s very difficult to meet up regularly. But they keep watching my films and keep messaging me on Facebook. So that feels really good. After Pellichoopulu released, even a lot of my seniors and juniors got in touch with me and gave me their feedback on my performance.

What was your most embarrassing moment in college?
The first time I tried to bunk college, I got caught. So that was really embarrassing, because even the principal got to know. He asked us to come to his office and gave us a big lecture. This is the first time we tried to bunk in our first year itself, and this is what happened.

Did your education help you with your career as an actor?
Definitely. If I would’ve started acting at the age of 18 or 19, I wouldn’t have been this confident. Now I know that even if my acting career doesn’t work out, I still have a degree. So having a degree gives you confidence and it’s important for every youngster to study atleast till the undergrad level. I gave modelling a shot only after my cousins kept on telling me I should try it. But I never wanted to quit studies and do this.

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