Geeth Saini on 'Pushpaka Vimanam', her background and more

  • IndiaGlitz, [Thursday,November 11 2021]

'Pushpaka Vimanam' is coming out on November 12. Geeth Saini, who has played Anand Deverakonda's wife in the movie, is excited.

Excerpts:

I have grown in various places in the country because of my father's dance. It has been ten years since we settled down in Hyderabad. Since I love dancing, I have learned it by watching the likes of Chiranjeevi garu. I jumped onto the film offers because I wanted to dance. When director Damodara saw my pics that a friend of mine sent him, he felt I am apt for the role of a wife in the movie. I told my director that my father might not accept but, to my surprise, he gave the nod as soon as I told him about the offer. I thought he would scold me but I gave it a try nevertheless. I had once got a call from director Srikanth Addala garu. My father agreed because he likes 'Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu'.

I have always watched movies on TV at home. The 9pm shows on TV are my favourite, and I have kept abreast myself with various kinds of Telugu movies. When 'Pushpaka Vimanam' came my way, even the name of my character (Meenakshi) caught me by surprise. K Viswanath garu is a favourite and he chose the name for Bhanu Priya's character in 'Swarna Kamalam'. I am attached to the name as my friends used to call me 'Meenu' in college.

Playing a wife was not easy. Meenakshi elopes and playing such a character in the beginning of the career was not an easy choice. The director asked me to think a lot. But the thing is, I am a fan of stories/comedies of this sort.

During the making of the movie, I didn't interact much with outsiders. It was meant to stay in the mood of my character. It was fun observing people on set. Anand Deverakonda was a cooperative co-star and he is brilliant as Sundar. The casting is perfect. Whether Sundar finds me after I elope is an interesting watch. My track is separate in the movie.

I have got no scenes with Saanve Megghana. I have no combination scenes with others such as Sunil garu and Naresh garu. But I learned a lot observing them on set.

Meenakshi is not a typical character. I had to be in the same mood the whole day. I couldn't afford to be distracted by the ambience on set. My costumes have been designed by one Bharath. The make-up had to look the part of a housewife. The sounding of the title is great. It's a prestigious title because it's a Kamal Haasan classic. I am also nervous because we are newcomers.

I love dance-based stories/characters. I admire Sai Pallavi's choices. I am waiting for the movie's release before I can think about my next movie. 'PV' was okayed in 2019. I have waited for its release all along. The pandemic has delayed the release and my wait has been longer.