Ahead of the release of 'Jamba Lakidi Pamba' on July 22, its heroine Siddhi Idnani says that the film has a message for the younger generation. In this interview, catch her talk about the movie's exciting premise, her experience of debuting in Telugu and more.

Tell us about your background.

My father is a Sindhi and my mother a Gujarati. Theirs was a love marriage. My mother has done Hindi TV serials and has also acted in Gujarati movies. Since dad is a businessman, he has been to several places and knows seven languages. He is also so good at voice modulation. I admire his speaking skills. Ever since I was a child, I used to visit my mother's film sets casually. I worked as an assistant director for a Gujarati play. I started out by acting in a play when I was all of 17. I then did a Gujarat movie with Devank Patel. I have graduated in Bachelor of Mass Media.

How did this film fall into place?

At a time when I was busy with serials and commercials, an agency called me up and asked me if I would do a Telugu movie. Although I don't know Telugu, I did an audition for the role. I was asked to reel off four lines in Telugu. I took just five minutes to be ready for the audition. I was asked to visit Hyderabad two days later. The director, producers and hero Srinivas Reddy garu liked my eyes and smile and okayed me.

What is exciting about 'Jamba Lakidi Pamba'?

It's after the interval that the roles get exchanged. It was easy to dance, but it was not at all easy to act like a male person. I had to talk and walk like a male person. To look the part, I had to behave like Srinivas Reddy. So, I watched all his previous movies. I started imitating him.

Would you say the film is not template-driven?

I will be seen as a designer in the first half. These days, people fall in love and go about their marriage. But what happens next? In 'JLP', the couple end up having differences. Is it divorce? There are twists and turns. Their souls get exchanged. The characters are amazing. The audience will surely love it. The current generation is so impulsive. They will find something worthy in the movie.

How was it working with the hero and others?

I was very happy when I first met Srinivas Reddy garu. My first scene was with him and Posani garu. We completed it in just one take. I could strike a respectable chemistry with everyone. Srinivas Redd is an amazing actor. He has also done movies where the heroine has a key role in the story.

Was it hard to do the film as you don't know Telugu?

I can't talk Telugu well. I was told that I would be given prompting. But since I come from a theatre background, I don't approve of it. I find promptings too mechanical. I then learned by heart my dialogues. It was difficult but I did it.

I did watch the old movie (the Rajendra Prasad-EVV Satyanarayana one) as part of my homework. There are no similarities between that movie and our 'JLP'. In 'JLP', the souls of the lead pair get exchanged.

Isn't language a barrier for you?

I am not doing any movie in Gujarati as of now. I don't differentiate between languages. Acting is acting. I prioritize on the basis of script and character.

It's very hard to do a comedy, more so when you don't know the language. If we don't know the nuances of a language, we wouldn't know how to be effective. I now know Telugu. I have been here for six months now. I have been to English-to-Telugu classes.