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Shriya Saran's external beauty made me approach her: Chandra director Roopa Iyer
Roopa Iyer, the director of Chandra, amidst being busy with the last-minute promotions of the movie, spoke to Oneindia about the movie. Here are the excerpts from the interview:
Is
Chandra
a
period
fantasy?
It
is
a
modern
day
story
and
not
a
period-fantasy.
The
story
is
about
a
princess
of
the
last
generation.
The
last
generation
from
the
Royal
families
struggle
to
adapt
to
the
normal
social
life.
If
you
visit
their
homes,
you
could
notice
that
they
are
traditional
and
follow
their
ancestors'
lifestyle
even
today.
But
from
the
other
end,
for
them,
leading
normal
life
is
highly
difficult
as
they
can
neither
live
like
us
nor
have
the
luxury
of
leading
a
life
like
kings.
My
story
revolves
around
this
aspect
and
a
beautiful
love
story
in
the
Royal
family.
How
was
the
idea
of
Chandra
born?
When
I
used
to
meet
people
from
Royal
families,
a
thought
on
their
lifestyle
and
their
struggles
struck
my
mind.
It
made
me
to
make
a
research
about
such
families.
I
also
realised
that
they
are
just
like
us
at
the
core.
Alike
us,
they
too
fall
in
love
when
they
come
across
a
manly
or
energetic
person
who
meets
all
their
demands.
Is
it
about
a
particular
Royal
family?
No,
it
is
not
about
a
specific
family.
When
we
take
into
account
of
all
those
royal
families,
there
were
love
marriages
just
like
our
Mysore
Samsthan.
So,
Kings
from
other
places
have
found
love
when
they
travel
and
conquer
other
Kingdoms.
So,
my
story
does
not
talk
about
a
particular
family.
You
are
into
art
films;
what
made
you
shift
gears?
I
just
made
one
art
film!
That
does
not
mean
that
I
am
into
art
films.
(Laughs)
Why
did
you
take
so
long
after
your
Mukha
Puta?
Mukha
Puta
was
not
just
a
film,
it
was
my
life.
It
was
not
just
any
other
movie
that
was
made
to
make
money.
The
movie
was
related
to
life.
We
have
sent
the
movie
to
more
than
18
countries
and
it
was
internationally
appreciated.
My
intention
was
to
reach
all
HIV
homes
in
all
districts.
However,
the
ultimate
purpose
has
not
been
served.
I
may
have
got
awards,
but
it
has
not
given
life
to
those
kids.
However,
I
took
the
break
because
I
wanted
to
come
up
with
a
quality
product.
Hence,
I
justify
the
delay.
Your
eye
for
minute
details
is
visible...
I
dreamt
of
every
single
scene
before
the
movie
hit
the
floors.
As
a
result,
I
even
took
the
mantle
of
designing
the
costumes
and
art
direction.
When
it
comes
to
the
cast,
I
had
imagined
Prem
Kumar
and
that's
the
same
reason
I
roped
him
to
play
the
lead
role.
However,
the
heroine
was
to
be
changed
for
some
reasons
and
we
zeroed
in
on
Shriya
Saran.
Shriya Saran And Prem
Knowing
that
Prem
is
a
big
fan
of
Shriya
Saran,
how
did
he
react
when
he
came
to
know
that
Shriya
was
part
of
the
cast?
Well,
Prem
Kumar
was
not
aware
of
Shriya
Saran's
inclusion
in
the
film.
I
purposefully
kept
it
as
a
secret
and
did
not
reveal
until
the
official
launch.
I
told
him
that
it
will
be
a
pleasant
surprise.
He
was
stunned
when
he
came
to
know
that
it
was
none
other
than
Shriya
Saran
with
whom
he
would
be
pairing
up.
Prem
Tell
us
about
Prem's
role
in
Chandra.
Prem
plays
the
role
of
a
classical
music
teacher,
but
he
is
mainly
into
Ayurvedic
research.
He
basically
stays
in
the
Himalayas.
Prem-Shriya Chemistry
Would
you
like
to
have
a
say
about
their
chemistry?
I've
been
receiving
a
lot
of
good
words
from
the
industry
men
and
audience
about
their
on-screen
chemistry.
Many
have
told
me
that
they
look
charmingly
beautiful
and
it
would
work
big
time
on-screen.
Intimate Scenes
Their
intimate
scenes
have
drawn
huge
attention...
Frankly
speaking,
both
of
them
are
very
committed
actors.
Be
it
in
sentiment
or
intimate
scene,
they
have
given
their
100
percent.
More
importantly,
they
have
completely
immersed
themselves
into
the
characters.
If
you
ask
me
specifically
about
the
intimate
scenes,
as
true
professionals,
they
have
tried
to
live
up
to
their
characters.
Shriya
What
made
you
choose
Shriya
Saran?
Her
external
beauty
made
me
approach
her.
When
I
say
external
beauty,
it
is
not
just
good
looks,
but
her
feminine
look.
Chandra
demanded
her
to
learn
Kalari
fight
and
with
this,
people
will
know
that
she
has
the
perfect
body.
Considering
that
it
is
a
romantic
film,
we
needed
an
actress
who
could
also
speak
with
her
eyes!
Her
classical
dancing
ability
was
an
added
advantage
for
the
project.
Hence,
we
signed
her
for
the
movie.
Shriya In Chandra
Shriya
Saran's
career
is
on
a
down
fall.
Do
you
believe
that
Chandra
would
give
her
a
new
identity?
We
believe
in
positive
energy.
Every
human
will
go
through
ups
and
downs.
We
can't
expect
any
one
to
be
on
top
forever.
And
this
has
happened
to
Shriya
Saran
too.
However,
Shriya
Saran's
mother
had
told
me
that
it
would
give
the
actress
a
big
break
and
we
are
hopeful
on
the
same.
The
early
signs
are
visible
as
a
couple
of
producers
have
signed
her
for
their
projects
after
looking
at
the
movie
stills
and
trailers.
Beautiful Shriya
How
was
the
experience
working
with
Shriya
Saran?
It
was
a
great
experience
for
both
of
us.
It
is
because
we
never
had
ego
issues.
Even
though
we
had
differences
and
fights
on
various
issues,
it
was
all
for
the
film
and
nothing
personal.
The
underlining
point
is
that
she
would
never
mind
giving
re-takes
if
I
was
not
satisfied.
Personally,
she
is
a
good
human
being
and
was
nice
with
every
individual
on
the
sets.
Female-Oriented Project?
Is
Chandra
a
female-oriented
project?
People
think
that
Chandra
is
a
female-oriented
subject,
but
it
is
not.
The
story
is
mainly
based
on
Prem.
Well,
the
title
is
the
name
of
both
hero
and
heroine.
Ganesh Venkataraman's Role
What
role
does
Ganesh
Venkataraman
play?
Ganesh
Venkataraman
is
from
a
Royal
family
who
lives
in
America.
He
has
an
interesting
role
in
the
movie.
Tamil Actor Vivek's Role In Chandra
Tell
us
about
Tamil
actor
Vivek,
who
has
made
his
debut
in
Kannada
films
with
Chandra.
There
are
very
good
comedy
sequences
in
the
movie
and
he
has
done
a
brilliant
job.
Vivek
has
played
the
role
of
Shriya's
brother.
He
is
an
adopted
son
to
Royal
family.
Well,
on
the
sets,
he
was
very
lively
just
like
his
on-screen
persona.
He
was
one
person
who
used
to
make
me
feel
happy.
When
I
was
upset
with
things,
he
used
to
call
his
assistants
and
say,
"Va
muruga
koncha
madam
ke
joke
pannita
varla..."
and
make
me
laugh.
Just
a
look
at
him
would
bring
smile
on
my
face.
