''K.V.Anand Sir asked me to not see his own movies" - Anegan's Amyra Dastur

Dhanush’s upcoming big ticket flick, Anegan under K V Anand’s direction is already a much expected film for 2014. The film will see the debut of young Amyra Dastur in the Tamil industry. This 20 year old beauty has already done Issaq with Prateik Babbar and is raring to go. We catch up with Amyra for a conversation about her Anegan experience and how she is coping with the Tamil industry and also her future plans.

 

How did you get on board the Anegan team?
 

Anand Sir saw the trailer of Issaq and was impressed. He asked me to come down to Chennai for a day and I went promptly. He liked my look and gave me a complete story narration. I thoroughly fell in love with the script. A small look test followed and Anand Sir was happy with all my looks. He asked me if I was keen to do the film and I conveyed my readiness to do the film. I was skeptical about the language barrier and told the same to Anand Sir as I didn’t want to be paying attention to only my dialogues and miss out on the other nuances. But I have been writing all my Tamil lines in Hindi and it’s become easy to learn them.

How is the experience sharing the screenspace with stalwarts such as Karthik and Dhanush?

Karthik Sir is so sweet and so much fun to be around with. He is very approachable to fans who keep asking for his autograph. He never makes you feel that he is a senior and tells a lot of tales about the old times and how things have changed so much. It is a great experience to share screen space with such an actor. 

 

Dhanush is very chilled out. He doesn’t barge into our personal space and doesn’t give needless advice, unless asked. He just behaves like any other normal actor. But this is not to say that he is reserved.

K.V.Anand is someone with a great track record. How is he going about Anegan?

KV Sir is very organized and I love that aspect in him. There is no wasting time on the sets and it takes just a few minutes for the shot and the camera to be set up. After the shot, we don’t even go back to the vanity van. Dhanush, me and Karthik Sir, all of us just chat up before the shot begins. It is totally chilled out on the sets.

For Anegan’s pooja function, you turned up in a half-saree. Are you playing a village belle in the movie?
 

The half-saree look isn’t my only look in the movie and there will be different looks that I would be sporting in Anegan. When I say different looks I don’t mean it’s a period movie, but a mystery thriller.

How have you been coping up with the dance movements? Considering that Dhanush is a terrific dancer
 

We have shot for one song so far, and I didn’t rehearse much. KV Sir wanted it to look natural and not robotic. Of course, there was a little practice prior to the shoots but the song was more about fun and energy.

How excited was your family after getting to know of your Tamil debut?
 

My parents aren’t much into movies but my cousins are in tune with the happenings in the industry. They felt Raanjhanaa was really fantastic and were excited that I was going to pair up with Dhanush.

What are the Tamil movies that you have seen till now and who all do you consider as your inspirations?
 

K.V Sir asked me to see a lot of movies. I have seen Sethu and I really liked Vikram’s performance in it. He specifically asked me to see Genelia’s movies during the early stages of her career and also to pay attention to Madhubala’s role in Gentleman. But he asked me to not see his own movies.

 

I consider Kajal Agarwal as an inspiration as she has shined in the South after coming in with no knowledge of the language. It is commendable. Of course, Rajini Sir is a favorite along with Vikram.

How have Tamil cinema fans taken to you in the online space?

Tamil cinema fans and Dhanush fans have been really sweet and I have been receiving a lot of love on Twitter, FB and Instagram. They have made me feel happy and comfortable with their welcome.

What are your future plans in the film industry?

I expect Anegan to release towards the latter half of 2014 post July and I hope it does well. I generally don’t plan much as the industry is uncertain. Everything depends on the audience’s verdict.

 

I am getting a lot of offers in Tamil and Telugu, but since my debut has been really big, I don’t want to accept something which is below this level. I am occupied with Anegan till April 2014 and also the Hindi movie Mr. X opposite Emraan Hashmi, in which both of us are playing cops. In Bollywood, they don’t have a problem with girls being really thin (laughs)

 

Behindwoods wishes Amyra a rocking career ahead.