Ardent fans of Tamannaah Bhatia have stuck by her through thick and thin, irrespective of her career choices, both in Southern and Hindi cinema. In a recent conversation with journalist Barkha Dutt, Bhatia, who completes 16 years in showbiz, this year, opened up about how the industries down South were a lot more welcoming, accepting and respectful towards her at the start of her career.
Recalling her earliest interaction with Megastar Chiranjeevi, the actress said, “Chiranjeevi was one of my first people who told me, ‘You are going to become a star.’ This was when I was working with Ram Charan and I hadn’t made it yet.”
She also remembered a sweet gesture made by Superstar Rajinikanth. She said, "“Rajini sir really surprised me because I worked with him for one day, and he thought about me and bought me a book. It’s not like I have known him before. I realised these superstars are not just superstars like that. It’s because they’re actually treating humans like humans. I think there’s too much emphasis on gender and this and that, but we don’t treat each other like humans, even in our crews. I find it really hard when I see people not treating their staff properly.”
Heaping praises on her 'Racha' co-star Ram Charan and '100% Love' co-star Naga chaitanya, Tamannaah acknowledged their nature and upbringing by their parents. The 'Lust Stories 2' star said, “I’ve seen Charan or even (Naga) Chaitanya, Nagarjuna sir’s son, I feel like they’ve all brought up their boys so gracefully. They are so well-behaved, so cultured, so respectful. I mean, chivalry is rare in the world in general, and sometimes even less so in our country. But I do feel like with a few men that I have worked with there, they’re so chivalrous. Making sure that the woman on the set is comfortable, Chiranjeevi sir being one of them.”
Tamannaah had an eventful June with the release of her first OTT show 'Jee Karda' on Amazon Prime Video and 'Lust Stories 2' on Netflix, where she made her first on-screen appearance opposite real-life beau Vijay Varma. The actress will be next seen in 'Jailer' opposite Rajinikanth and in 'Bholaa Shankar' alongside Chiranjeevi and Keerthy Suresh.
