Age is on our side: Sandalwood starlets

KRITI KHARBANDA
Her film career may have suffered a setback because her debut, the Telugu film Boni, flopped. But Kriti Kharbanda didn’t let that bog her down. “That one year wasn’t easy,” says Kriti, “I did a photo shoot and even got to sign some films in Tollywood, but those films either didn’t take off or they got shelved.
But things appear to be looking up for the actress — she’s signed a Kannada film, Chiru, and has bagged a Telugu film with Pawan Kalyan and Ileana.She’s also set to sign another project with a Telugu biggie. “I was even supposed to do Don Seenu, but I didn’t have the dates because of Chiru,” says Kriti.
She may not be established in either Sandalwood or Tollywood, but that doesn’t bother Kriti. “Movies are movies, in any language. I want to do more Kannada films but that doesn’t mean I want to work only here,” she says.
The actress wants to do as much as she can while she still has the time to do it. “Age is on my side. Right now, I can play characters who are my age, and even those that are younger or older,” she says. But most importantly, Kriti wants the opportunity to “experiment and do every possible role in all languages.
CATHERINE TRESA
Buoyed by the moderate success of her Sandalwood debut, the Vijay-starrer Shankar IPS, model-turned-actress Catherine Tresa has set her sights on Tollywood. “Sai Kumar is launching his son Adi in Prema Kavali, in which I’ll be playing the female lead. The film will be directed by Vijay Bhaskar, who did Malliswari with Katrina Kaif and Venkatesh,” says Catherine. And even though her Telugu debut hasn’t yet released, she’s signed another film opposite Gopichand. “I’ll be busy shooting for Prema Kavali till December. I’m working out my dates for Gopichand’s film,” she adds.
Catherine insists that the jump to Tollywood is not because offers to do Kannada films dried up. “Offers came to me, but I politely declined them. I was almost finalised for the Kannada film, Shikari, opposite Mammootty. I was supposed to play two roles — a modern character and a freedom fighter. But when Mammootty met me, he thought I was too young,” she explains.
Catherine’s next Sandalwood project is the Kannada remake of Madhur Bhandarkar’s Fashion. “It’s a slightly modified version of the Hindi film. It features four girls and I play a struggling singer,” she says.
It may appear that she has one foot in Sandalwood and the other in Tollywood, but Catherine doesn’t look at it that way. “I may be working in different languages, but the sentiments of audiences remain the same. I’m young, so I get offers. Later, I won’t be able to play the same characters I can now, so I shouldn’t regret not doing certain films offered to me. Who knows which film and what role can bring you fame?” she says sagely.