Gargeyi Yellapragada on Hello Meera: Being in a single-character film was equally risky and exciting | Exclusive

Gargeyi Yellapragada, a psychology student from Villa Marie, Hyderabad, was always conscious of building a career in films since her childhood years. Having acted in a few projects as a child, she enjoyed the process and didn’t face much resistance from parents on taking her dreams forward. While Gargeyi landed Evvarikee Cheppoddu, her debut project during her college years, she wasn’t in a rush to sign projects and bided her time for the right offer.

With her latest release, the road thriller Hello Meera, the prospect of being the only actor in the entire film and the challenge to keep viewers invested throughout a 93-minute narrative enthused her immensely. The film has now opened to rave reviews all over and she relived the ‘Hello Meera’ experience in a chat with OTTplay.com

Was being a psychology student advantageous to perform an intense character like Meera?

As a psychology student, you have the advantage of analysing situations on a deeper level and the experience of going through several case studies during academics. When Srinivasu garu narrated the script, I was simultaneously trying to imagine what Meera would’ve gone through or how would I’ve reacted to the situation.

I put a little part of me into Meera because I had an understanding of an individual’s reaction to the crisis. I was trying to see what was relatable to me and then I got into the skin of Meera and imagined life in her shoes, based on her past.

Did you choose a career in films consciously? Wasn’t it too much of a burden to shoulder a single-actor film early in your career?

Acting was definitely not accidental, it was a conscious decision for me to enter the industry and act in films. When I was a child, I did a couple of projects for ETV and had a slight inclination towards acting since that age. My parents too encouraged me and whenever there were casting calls, I used to send my profiles. It was a great interest of mine and I wanted to balance it with my academics.

When a challenge like Hello Meera presented itself to me at the very beginning of my career, it was exciting and not everybody would get a chance to be the only actor in a feature film. It was a scary and equally fascinating prospect. I think you should always take up whatever you fear the most.

Was it scary to be in Meera’s shoes?

I was empathising with her when I put myself into her shoes. I felt sad for her - it’s not a situation that anyone would want to face, a day before their wedding. It’s a time when she wants to be happy but she learns a lot through the crisis. There’s a lot of self-discovery in the way she handles the situation. It wasn’t scary to imagine myself in that position because I was always rooting for her.

What about Meera struck a chord with you?

Meera, at the end of the day, is genuine. Though she hid the truth from her parents initially, Meera opened up to her father and Kalyan after all hell broke loose and didn’t try to cover up anything. A person’s true character is revealed through their reaction to a challenge; she’s earnest throughout. Everybody reacts well in hunky-dory situations otherwise.

Like the reference to Sita in Hello Meera, who needs to undergo the ‘agni pariksha’ and is suspected despite not being at fault, do you think not much has changed for a woman over the years (about Meera)?

We have progressed as a society but there are several prejudices against women even today. While we talk about mythology or history, it’s a reflection of our society back then. Though we learn a lot about gender inclusivity through these stories, we don’t implement the lessons. Whenever we land in a dicey situation, people find it convenient to blame the woman without basis. Hello Meera too says that - how can you accuse a woman without knowing the sequence of events? It’s a challenge women need to face daily.

The film was refreshing for the way the male characters were written - the father’s character and Kalyan, in particular. They’re not the usual macho men you come across in conventional cinema…

Kalyan in the initial portions of the film comes across as a controlling man and you tend to dislike him for how he asks Meera to talk to his mother and sister. However, the climax offers a good surprise about his true nature. Whenever someone lands in a soup, the other person may react or judge impulsively but that’s not a true reflection of their personality. The film, on the whole, proves that Meera was right in choosing Kalyan (her would-be) and dumping Sudheer (her ex).

Shooting in the same costume and the car for the bulk of the shoot must’ve posed some practical and continuity-related issues...

The continuity was a hassle, we had to look back at where my strand of hair was in the last scene and shoot the next scene. We didn’t shoot the film in chronological order; it wasn’t practical that way. Meera is in the same mindset for nearly 6-7 hours and sustaining that emotion wasn’t easy. Yet, as an actor, these are the challenges that you seek.

You must have shot Hello Meera amidst several constraints. Did that bring a different side to you as a performer?

Shooting on a highway strips you of all luxuries and you don’t have a vanity van where you can apply makeup/change costumes after a scene. I was doing touch-ups, changing my lens all in the car. As a team, everyone was putting in a collective effort in such a scenario and you’d want to chip in as well. When a team is good, you forge a bond with them and you don’t mind taking up challenges. Not everybody gets this chance and I see the silver lining in every situation.

With the film revolving around telephonic conversations, was it an issue to react spontaneously to the cues from the assistants on set?

The assistants used to stand beside and give me cues for the conversations. Hello Meera is a film totally dependent on the conversations and the assistants read out every dialogue. There are so many characters in the film and you need to react to all the dialogues spontaneously. Reacting to the dialogues was my biggest difficulty and I had to be conscious of not reacting/looking confused when there was an awkward pause. I think we ultimately pulled it off well.

Despite Evvarikee Cheppoddu receiving acclaim at the time of its release, were you disappointed that it didn’t fetch you more projects?

We certainly felt Evvarikee Cheppoddu deserved a wider audience. We were happy with the reception at the time of release but we expected it to go bigger. Even in the recent premiere for Hello Meera, I’ve had people telling me they’d enjoyed my debut film a lot. OTT has done wonders for Evvarikee Cheppoddu and even many years after its release, I get compliments for my performance.

Two months after the film’s release, there was COVID-19 and that slowed down the opportunities coming my way. Frankly, I was also waiting for the right project and I could’ve done two or three films easily. I took a conscious decision to do something that I like. I didn’t want to take up work as an obligation/formality. There was an overload of content at the same time and I was wary of where I wanted to see myself in.

How do you decide if a director, who narrates a story well, is capable enough to execute it on sets?

It’s not hard to take a decision but even the best in the business face that ambiguity and self-doubt when they commit to something. At least, while I’m working on the film, I don’t allow thoughts like ‘will it work or not?’ to affect me because I can’t give my 100% otherwise. As of now, I trust my gut instinct and I’m still at the very beginning of my career, trying to learn with every project.

Srinivasu Kakarla comes with over two decades of experience in the industry and yet this is his first film. How would you describe him as a storyteller?

His experience was quite evident in the way he narrated that script to me. Though this was his debut film, he was confident of the product he had. The actor too feeds on that confidence. He knew what he was doing.

Are you critical of your performances?

I am slightly critical of my performances and I always wonder if I could’ve told a dialogue/portrayed a scene differently when I watch myself on the screen. On the whole, I’ll be satisfied but you try to overanalyse everything you do - that’s a disadvantage of being an actor. Why did I pause here or move my hand that way? These are not something a common man would notice. If I’m not happy with my performance, I inform it directly on the set and don’t leave it to the screening.

Is it necessary for an actor to have a life beyond cinema?

It is different for everyone. Some people make a career out of their hobbies and some want a life beyond their careers. At this point, my focus is on acting but I have a personality outside my profession. Being an actor and portraying someone else on screen already takes a lot of your mind and headspace; so I’m still figuring it out. I have a couple of projects in the kitty, my next release may be in 2024.