Anupama Parameswaran awaits the release of 'Tej I Love U' on July 6.  Ahead of its release, she says in this interview what drew her to the movie, her priorities while choosing a film, working with Sai Dharam Tej, missing out on 'Rangasthalam', learning Telugu and more.  

What is your state of mind before the film's release?

I am tensed ahead of the release of my film.  Before 'Tej I Love U', every single film except 'Shatamanam Bhavati' had me as one of the heroines.  But in my latest film, I have a strong role.  I have played a girl named Nandini and she is someone I never played before.  

Never played before?  The character must be interesting.  How did Karunakaran visualize it?  How close is Nandini to the real Anupama?

Nandini is a bubbly girl.  She comes to Hyderabad from the US in search of a person.  She is immature at times but at times, she can show other shades.  Maturity is one of her shades.  She comes with a lot of variations.  She is 10 percent more than Anupama.  I am talkative and she is more talkative than me!

You must have known that Karunakaran has quite a few hits to his credit.  Did you do the film because of him?

I have seen a lot of films of his.  'Toli Prema', 'Darling', 'Happy' and 'Ullasanga Uthsahanga' are films of his that I loved.  The way he portrays his heroines and the characterizations - I have always loved them.  When he came to our house to give me a narration, he didn't sit down in one place.  He stood up, kept moving, running, as he became the character Nandini.  I was excited to listen to his narration.  

How was it working with Sai Dharam Tej?

He is a super-cool person and it was fun working with him.  I was stunned to know that he trusts his director so much.  Tej is such a down-to-earth and humble person.  As for his dances, everybody knows his talent.  I had to match his talent.  And it took me a lot of effort.  Tej would complete it in a single take.  But I had to rehearse and try again and again.  

Gopi Sundar is one of the most happening music directors in Tollywood.  Did you like the songs?

I like his music a lot.  There is a montage song in 'Tej I Love U' that I really like a lot. Karunakaran sir's visuals are great.  The songs of the movie are lovable instantly.  

You have done films that have worked (like 'Shatamanam Bhavati') and that haven't (like 'Vunnadi Okate Zindagi' and 'Krishnarjuna Yuddham').  How do you prioritize your scripts?

The character that I play is the most important thing for me.  In 'VOZ', I didn't play a full-fledged character.  Same goes with my character Nagavalli in 'A Aa'.  I chose to do the movies because I loved my character.  My character has to be intense and genuine for me to play it.

Why have you slowed down in Malayalam?

It's not like I don't want to do Malayalam.  When I was getting some good offers over there, I was very busy with Telugu movies.  Unlike in Tollywood, the schedules are very long in Mollywood.  There are logistical difficulties, too.  When I was free, the scripts that I got in Malayalam were not to my liking.  

Your Telugu is alright.  How did you learn?

It's because of Trivikram Srinivas garu that I learned Telugu.  When I was shooting for 'A Aa', everybody used to chat in Telugu.  I used to go to the director and tell him I wasn't understanding their words.  I would ask him to translate their sentences for me.  And he used to do that.  That's when I decided to start learning Telugu from my second movie. When I am here, why not learn the language is what I thought.  I am doing a Kannada film now.  And I am learning Kannada, too!

So, have you dubbed your voice for 'Tej I Love U'?

Not for this movie.  I am doing it for other movies.  When dubbing works were going on, I was busy with 'Hello Guru Prema Kosame'.  As such, I couldn't dub.

You were supposed to do 'Rangasthalam', which has become a blockbuster.  Do you regret missing out on it?

When I watched the movie, I called up Sukumar sir and told him Samantha has done 101 percent justice to the character.  Only she could have played it.  Those roles that are meant for me will come to me!

What kind of roles are you looking for?

I am happy with the kind of roles I am getting.  But I want to do bold roles and characters that challenge me more.