Regina Cassandra: ‘The appreciation for Evaru has been unanimous’

Scoring a massive hit with Evaru, Regina Cassandra has made a grand comeback to Telugu films. The actress was recently in the city to promote the film. In a candid chat with Teja Kovvali, she shares her experience of working in Evaru.

Evaru comes as a brilliant whodunit. The film, directed by Venkat Ramji, casts Regina Cassandra as Sameera Maha, who is the central character of the plot.

Bagging the role in Evaru

After being told by producer PVP, Regina met director Ramji, and actor Adivi Sesh, in Chennai.  A compelling narration of the script, by the director, made her hit an instant chord with the character of Sameera. “The whole process of getting on board was very smooth. I took the narration, liked the character and was able to picture Sameera immediately. While shooting for the film, Ramji revealed that the character was written keeping me in mind,” she shares.

Portraying Sameera on screen

The actress shares that until Evaru, she didn’t get an opportunity to play a grey role in her career. Stating that Sameera is different from her real-life character, Regina says it was refreshing to play someone who had a different outlook towards life.  “This is what I love about acting. When I get a character that’s completely different from mine, it makes the task much more challenging and exciting. The character of Sameera was so well etched that I just had to bring it to life on screen. The role was an intense one and had many layers to it. Managing to pull it off convincingly is quite fulfilling.”

The tremendous response

While the team was confident of their output, the scale of the response from the audience came as a pleasant surprise. On a personal front, Regina too seems overwhelmed with the feedback received. “While my earlier roles too fetched me accolades, there was always someone who thought it could have been done better. However, with Evaru, the appreciation has been unanimous. It’s a great feeling when your hard work pays off in the end.”

Playing unconventional

Regina’s recent films- Awe, Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga, Seven and Evaru- have had her don unconventional avatars. When asked if this is the way forward, she cites that many actresses like Taapsee and Nayanathara have been taking up a variety of roles nowadays. “In recent times, the female characters are being given due prominence in films. A lot of actresses are making conscious efforts towards picking meaty roles and I like the fact that everyone is headed this way. That said, it doesn’t mean that I won’t take up commercial films anymore. I see myself as a versatile actress and want to try my hand at different types of cinema.”

Upcoming Projects

Regina currently has three Tamil films that are lined up to hit the screens. One is Party, directed by Venkat Prabhu, the other one is Kasada Tabara, helmed by Chimbu Deven. The third one is Kallapart, starring Arvind Swamy. The actress is also working with Vishal for Irumbu Thirai 2, apart from a couple of projects in Telugu and Hindi.

Vizag Connect

Regina Cassandra shares a special bond with Vizag, which apparently reminds the actress of her home, Chennai. Sharing her love for the city, she notes, “Vizag is a beautiful place with a nice beach. The city’s roads are so clean and there’s greenery all around. I have some very good friends here whom I consider to be family. On my latest trip, I even got a chance to sample some delicious food from local restaurants like Venkatadri Vantillu and Godavari.”