Happy Birthday Ritu Varma: Lesser-known facts about the ‘Pelli Choopulu’ actress

In the recently released romantic-comedy “Ninnila Ninnila”, Ritu Varma portrayed the role of a tough chef who has OCD and a dubious past. She shined in the well-written role throughout the film and stole the thunder in the climax sequences. With three big-ticket projects lined up for release in 2021, the Hyderabad-born beauty is gradually making it to the top with her solid emoting skills, beautiful face and delightful screen-presence. While national award-winning film ‘Pelli Choopulu’ brought fame and recognition to Ritu, not many know that she played supporting roles during her initial days. The gorgeous gal is celebrating her 31st birthday on Wednesday and on the special occasion, check out some lesser-known facts about her along with some jaw-dropping images.

While her family members hail from Madhya Pradesh, Ritu Varma was born and brought up in Hyderabad. After completing her Bachelor’s Degree, she took part in the Miss Hyderabad beauty pageant and was declared the first runner-up. Director Tharun Bhascker spotted her at the event and casted her in his short film ‘Anukokunda’ which got shortlisted for the Cannes Film Festival. Helmed in 48 hours, the 10-minute clip tells the story of a girl who meets an interesting guy a week before her ‘Pelli Choopulu’. Ritu also won the Best Actress award in the 48-hour film project in 2012.

Not many know that Ritu played a few supporting roles before making it big with ‘Pelli Choopulu’. She made her silver screen debut by playing one of Kajal Aggarwal’s friends in Junior NTR’s ‘Baadshah’ and followed it up with the crucial role as an ultra-modern stylist in ‘Prema Ishq Kaadhal’. Her performance in ‘Yevade Subramanyam’ as Riya won her a nomination for the Best Supporting Actress at IIFA. She made her debut as the leading lady in 2014 with the small-budget film ‘Naa Rakumarudu’ starring Naveen Chandra as the protagonist.

The slice-of-life film directed by debutante Tharun Bhascker showcased Ritu as Chitra, an MBA who wants to further her dreams in Australia. She breathed life into the tough character who is dealing with a break-up and her chemistry with Vijay Deverakonda during their first meeting and the follow-up sequences is top notch. For her impeccable performance, she won both the Nandi Award and Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress in 2016.

Ritu Varma made her debut in Tamil cinema by making a cameo appearance in Dhanush’s Velaiilla Pattadhari 2 and followed it up with a riveting performance in Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithaal. Starring alongside Dulquer Salmaan and Gautham Menon in the romantic thriller, she brilliantly portrayed her witty role to perfection and looked beautiful as the wide-eyed girl with a charming face. In the 2020 anthology film ‘Putham Pudhu Kaalai’, she played the role of an estranged granddaughter.

Ritu Varma is romancing Nani in the upcoming film ‘Tuck Jagadish’. Directed by Shiva Nirvana, the teaser of the wholesome entertainer has hit the bull’s eye owing to its arousing background music, stunningly shot visuals of Rayalaseema, solid supporting cast, deadly antagonist and the ‘mass’ avatar of the Natural Star which will literally give you goosebumps. She has already wrapped up a Tamil-Telugu bilingual project with Sharwanand and ‘Varudu Kaavalenu’ opposite Naga Shaurya. Her long-awaited Tamil film Dhruva Natchathiram starring Chiyaan Vikram is also pending for a theatrical release.