The pretty and perky Dimple Chopade, the heroine of Yaruda Mahesh, is Kollywood’s latest entrant. Sharing Maharashtrian roots with one of K Town’s biggest actors, Superstar Rajnikant, Dimple is excited to be setting foot into the industry. Ask her how it feels about the Maharashtrian link and she gushes, “I can never compare myself to such a great star like Rajni sir who is known all across the globe! But it feels great that I am a small part of the same industry as him. I would certainly love to be renowned and make a mark here.” She is happy to note that other talents like Atul Kulkarni and Sayaji Shinde have also carved a niche in the South.
Dimple also shares another common link with the superstar – her Kannada connection. The girl who completed her graduation is Psychology from the prestigious Symbiosis University in Pune, started off her film career with five Kannada films, before entering the Tamil film industry. She recalls her entry into filmdom, “I always dreamt of being an actor and would be preening before the mirror from childhood. I did my graduation only for the sake of my parents! But my aim was always showbiz. I tried my hand at Marathi theatre after doing a short course in film making from the Pune Film institute. Luckily for me, someone from Bangalore saw me in a short film during the time and offered me a role in my first Kannada movie when I was 18! Though that film, Sihimuthu, still hasn’t released, I went on to do four more films with actors like Darshan, Premkumar and Sameer Dattani.”
An audition for Anbu Pictures’ Yaruda Mahesh, brought her into Kollywood and Dimple is excited about the full length comedy that stars Sundeep Kishan and Jagan and releases this Friday. So why did she choose Southern films when Bollywood was so close to home? “The South is a storehouse of talent and the best place to learn the ropes of filmmaking in a practical manner. I had always heard how professional the industry was. So when the offers came, I grabbed them,” she smiles. In fact, her thirst to learn about films prompted her to work as an assistant director for a year in Marathi movies.
Though glamourous and sentimental roles are coming her way, Dimple harbours a secret dream. “I want to do an action movie! I have learnt horse riding and the Marathi Mallakhamba, a martial art similar to Silambam. Doing an action packed role would be the icing on the cake!” she grins. Looks like Dimple is firmly entrenching herself in the South, for she has already started shooting for two Telugu films, Biscuit and Romance. “I want to settle in the South and make it big in Tamil movies,” she concludes.