Exclusive! Chandini Chowdary: Sammathame will change the way people form opinions about a woman’s choices

It’s been a week since Chandini Chowdary has eaten or slept properly. She was part of a whirlwind promotional tour to spread the word about Sammathame (to release on June 24) across the Telugu states over the last few days. It’s only a lot of follow-up messages later, late into the night that OTTplay.com could convince her for a no-holds-barred conversation.

And it’s perhaps this midnight wisdom that helps the generally-guarded actress be at her candid best. Sammathame is a film she’s immensely confident about. She says it’s colourful but isn’t without substance - a rare balance to achieve in mainstream cinema. How is this conventional ‘boy-meets-girl’ tale different from any quintessential romance? We find out.

Telugu cinema’s depiction of urban, modern-day women has been consistently problematic, right from the way they look, dress, behave or think. Would Sammathame do anything to set the record straight?

Sammathame will change the way people form an opinion about the lifestyle choices of women. What is wrong for a woman is completely acceptable when a man does it and in the latter case, it is even considered cool - the only difference being the gender. The film cares to explore life through the lens of a woman and a man, unlike most Telugu films and both these perspectives are dealt with earnestness.

As a viewer, you get to know how the guy and the girl look at similar situations differently and understand where they come from. Sammathame suggests that neither the man nor the woman is at fault on most occasions and they only react and do what’s best for the situation.

Some of the most loved, highest-grossing films across the globe over many decades have been romances. What explains the allure of the ‘boy-meets-girl’ template across every generation?

The charm of the genre is its relatability. Everybody in their lives must have fallen for someone. Not everyone reacts to violence, war or tragedy similarly. What is tragic for some, maybe trivial for another. Romance, however, is universal. There won’t be a single person on earth who hasn’t fallen in love or wasn’t attracted to someone.

Sammathame is refreshing that way because it isn’t your larger-than-life, sugarcoated romance and is rooted in reality. That’s what I liked the most about it; it isn’t filmy and there are no external villains and most of the conflicts are between the lead characters - that’s the USP of the film.

Most of our films are written by men and moreover, the female characters in their stories are a reflection of what they perceive about women. How do you express your difference in opinion to a director when your character doesn’t behave the way you expect her to?

I have heard stories where the male gaze is quite apparent in the female characters and the men project women in a certain way, blindly based on their personal experiences. I also came across scripts where men make the effort to look at a situation from a woman’s standpoint and not judge her.

Fortunately, with both Sammathame and Colour Photo, I’ve had filmmakers who put themselves in a neutral space and understand a woman’s voice. It’s even more heartening when filmmakers listen to the opinions of the female artiste about the character. Directors like Sandeep Raj and Gopinath Reddy tell me about a character’s response to a situation and ask what I feel about it.

Gopi was secure enough to have a conversation with me about Shaanvi (in Sammathame), give the space to discuss, listen and still disagree respectfully when our opinions didn’t match. Shanvi in Sammathame is an urban-bred, independent woman who’s vocal about her thoughts. I was very happy to have gotten a role where a woman even has a chance to narrate her stance.

Going by the promos, Shanvi in Sammathame is a character that comes closest to your off-screen persona.

Yes, you are right. I and Shanvi may not share similar traits but our approach towards life is alike. I was brought up similarly to her - I had freedom in my life, parents who didn’t restrict my lifestyle and respected me and my choices. Shanvi speaks her mind, goes the extra mile to please people she likes and is unapologetic in her approach; I did relate to this side of hers. I am always attracted to roles that have substance, aren’t secondary characters in male-driven films and have an identity of their own.

Sammathame looks like the perfect package that every actress hopes for - substance, song-dance routine, good looks, great outfits, all in a mainstream film with enough depth.

True, it is the perfect package that I was waiting to happen. It is a colourful, playful film. This is one of the best looks in my career, I am very happy with my outfits and the character I play also has an attractive personality. I got to do a retro song where I’m dressed like Sridevi (garu), recreate the exaggerated expressions in films back then amidst backdrops that’ll make you go nostalgic. You need to consider yourself lucky to be part of a hatke song.

These ‘package’ films are also difficult because you need to keep the consistency of the character in mind before trying something different. Finding a balance between the two is challenging. The director made my job easy because he was very clear with the flow of the film and informed me of the scenes that were before and after a shot and asked me to react accordingly.

Your Sammathame co-star Kiran Abbavaram and you have had similar journeys, right from your short film days to carving your niche in the industry without any godfathers. What were your conversations during the shoot about?

Most of the conversations were about the passion we share for films. He used to tell me about my short films that he watched during his college years and how he started acting in shorts in 2017 (by which I was very much in the film industry). We both did engineering and left something comfortable to make a mark here. We talked about the paths we want to tread in future but we had such tight schedules that didn’t permit us to have long, detailed conversations.

It may be a coincidence but a lot of your characters have dark undertones, be it Manu, Gaalivaana or Colour Photo. Do you carry the trauma of the characters back home especially when they’re set in a dark zone?

They stay with me long after the shoot, yes! Only when a character impacts or haunts you so much, can you come up with a performance like Colour Photo! If I have to deliver a performance that affects a viewer, it’s important that I feel for the character; otherwise, it becomes very mechanical and artificial. I am all heart while listening to a story and don’t make too many calculations.

Post Manu, I’ve only taken up offers where the role affects me for long. If it doesn’t impact me beyond a point and I forget it easily, maybe the character wasn’t worth it. All my life I’ve wanted to do hard-hitting films where the lines between real and reel life are blurred and you feel for the characters even beyond the film hall. I believe I manifested it and I’m getting such roles because of that.

There’s a certain mystery around you and your personal life despite being a film star in a social media age. Isn’t that an oxymoron of sorts?

Right from my formative years, I’m someone who doesn’t like to talk too much about my personal life or what I do in my private time. Even with my friends, I don’t always feel the urge to keep them in the loop about the work I do. I don’t like being exposed and prefer keeping things to myself. The reason I’m on social media is because of my career.

Not everyone can be a Cillian Murphy to disappear into the countryside in Ireland and come back to do projects. Things don’t work the same way in our industry. I faced a lot of criticism in my initial days and I went into my shell for a long time for the same reason. I don’t want someone to misuse my vulnerability on social media. My privacy is more about protecting my soul.

Ultimately, what matters at the end of the day is your relevance as an actor and you’ve achieved longevity despite a few highs and steep lows.

I always keep in my mind - how easy was it to start, fall and be irrelevant; that keeps your head on your shoulders. Anything can change any day in the industry and try to not take things too much to my heart (which I end up doing most of the time).

I am surrounded by people who constantly give me a reality check, I wouldn’t have survived here if it wasn’t for my mum. I don’t like to get carried away and she pulls me back at the right time even if I do. Besides the criticism, my near and dear also express pride in the work I do. For instance, Colour Photo helped me gain respect from them like never before. That’s what I’ve always strived for - to be respected as an actor and as a person.

I think this longevity and progress also proves people how serious and passionate am I about my career. It means everything to me. Many wrote me off every now and then, but I persisted through every low and tried to better myself with every opportunity, regardless of success or failure. I've consciously worked on my craft and I'm quite happy to have come so far. 

And I am not done yet; I believe this is just the beginning of many more good things to come. On the work front, I can't wait for audiences to watch Gaami, released by UV Creations, also starring Vishwak Sen. I am very excited about it and I believe it's a great showcase of Chandini, the performer.