Interview: Anjali talks about her childhood and career

The compulsions of having to carry off ���five new looks��� when shooting for different films simultaneously can be quite tricky. ���Oh, it���s a very fine balancing act,��� remarks a visibly lighter Anjali. She lost ���7 kilos��� for her next bilingual film Chitrangada and it got directors of her other films ��� three Tamil and one Kannada ��� all worked up. ���It���s my most glamourous role ever and I���m going to be sporting a very uber chic look. But the makers of my other films were like ���Oh! You can���t lose more weight and look different for every shooting schedule���,��� quips Anjali, who���s just returned from the US after wrapping up a shooting schedule for her upcoming Telugu film. Excerpts from the chat:
You haven���t done too many glam doll roles. Do you like getting all dolled up?
Oh yes. Even when growing up in Rajolu (East Godavari) I was a bit of a village diva. I did my schooling there and used to wear pants and shorts (laughs) much to everyone���s surprise. Everyone used to say ���Hey��� why don���t you become a heroine���.
Guess you���ve always been used to male attention...
Haha. Well, I had my share of proposals from boys. I remember in class VIII, a boy gave me a love letter, but I tied rakhi to him. And the next day, he started seeing my friend (smiles). I was annoyed to have helped her become the talk of the town. I was more of a tomboy. I was raised like a boy. But I always wanted to become an actress. Once, when I was in class IV, everyone in school were told to talk about their life���s ambition. I said ���I want to become a heroine,��� as opposed to doctor, engineer, collector etc. Guess I always stood out of the crowd.
How did that go down with your family?
My parents used to work abroad and I was raised by my grandmom. They took a while to come to terms with my acting dreams. I once bunked school in class X to watch Nuvve Kaavali. My folks got to know about it and I got a thrashing (laughs). Another time, I danced at a school function and my parents came to know about it. Scared about how they would react, I did not return home till late evening. My frantic parents found me hiding in my backyard. They bought me chocolates and biscuits and asked me to never run away like that (laughs). No matter what I did, it would never remain a secret from my parents. I guess that���s the thing about growing up in a village.
So, you are used to running away and coming back? Jokes apart, do people still ask you about the controversy surrounding your disappearance?
It wasn���t easy. There���s no point in delving into the past, and I���ve moved on. I remember after that controversy, I went to Rajolu for my sister���s wedding and people were excited to see ���actress Anjali��� and they started clicking pics.
How different is ���actress Anjali��� from the girl who left the village to pursue her dreams?
Everything has changed about me since becoming an actress. I���ve become a lot more reserved and introverted from then. My aunt (mom���s sis) did not have kids, she wanted to raise me. I moved to Chennai with her. All of a sudden, I did not have friends to hang out. I would train in dance, acting, etc. and basically realising my dream became my life.
You���ve been living the dream for eight years now...
I got the chance to act in Kattradhu Thamizh (2007) when I was in class XI. Around the same time I debuted in Telugu with Photo. My Tamil film clicked, I started getting several offers there. I never wanted to just be a glam doll. Acting in movies is my passion and I love doing various roles. I believe in doing films based on the script and my role. I wish to be remembered for my roles.
Despite acting in more than 25 films, stardom seems to be elusive. Does that rankle?
Not really. My career graph in Tamil has always been settled since I���ve been doing several films there. Now my market in Telugu has also gotten bigger post Geethanjali. I love doing female-centric films.