Entertainment
Mammootty to Suresh Gopi: Prachi Tehlan works with South’s finest
Acclaimed actress Prachi Tehlan boasts a unique background spanning sports, photography, social activism and of course a thriving career across the Hindi and South Indian film industries. In this exclusive interview, she discusses her seamless transition working in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Punjabi cinema thanks to the pan-India perspective instilled through her athletic upbringing.
Prachi also provides insight into collaborating with South Indian superstars like Mammootty and Suresh Gopi, including how their acting mastery and humility continues to shape her own dedication to the craft. With goals to balance lead actress and strong character roles across both silver screen blockbusters and OTT debuts, Prachi’s versatility and self-driven work ethic is paving an inspirational path on her own terms.
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Excerpt from an interaction:
You’ve had the opportunity to work in various regional film industries such as Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil, and Punjabi, along with your background in Hindi television. What differences have you noticed in terms of working culture, storytelling, and audience reception across these diverse industries, and how do you adapt your approach as an actress accordingly?
Prachi Tehlan: My sports background has enabled me to seamlessly transition across diverse regional film industries. As an athlete, I traveled extensively around India from a young age, so languages and cultures are not alien to me. This has made it easy for me to quickly adapt to different working environments and storytelling styles, whether in Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil, or Punjabi films. My approach as an actress remains flexible according to the needs of each industry while feeling completely at home.
Your collaboration with Mammootty in “Mamangam” was widely acclaimed. How does the experience of working alongside a legend like him influence your approach to future projects, including your current one with Suresh Gopi?
Prachi Tehlan: Working with legends like Mammootty in “Mamangam” and now Suresh Gopi has been hugely insightful. I am selective about projects based on the story, filmmakers, and co-stars. My primary consideration is always the learning opportunity as an actor. Having made my big debut opposite Mammootty, a megastar in Indian cinema, the experience and takeaways were immense. Both he and Suresh Gopi are extremely grounded human beings despite their stardom. Collaborating with such stalwarts so early in my career has been a true blessing. Their humility and dedication to the craft will continue to influence my own approach in future projects.
Suresh Gopi, like Mammootty, holds an iconic status in the industry. How do you find similarities or differences in their acting styles or approaches to their craft, based on your personal experiences working with them?
Prachi Tehlan: While both Mammootty and Suresh Gopi are iconic actors with tremendous gravitas, their personal approaches differ. Mammootty is more reserved, while Suresh sir is very friendly. Yet both were wonderfully warm and supportive towards me as a co-star.
Their acting mastery is effortless and a privilege to witness up close on set. The way they intuitively craft the delivery of dialogues and embody characters is almost magical. Though their styles may vary, the richness of their presence and commitment to their craft created a very pleasant, energizing atmosphere during shoots. Their humility despite their legendary status allowed me as a relatively new actress to feel at ease. Working alongside them has been an invaluable learning experience that continues to shape my own growth as an artist.
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Prachi, which South Indian language do you feel most proficient in—Tamil, Telugu, or Malayalam? Could you also share any challenges or rewards you’ve experienced while learning and working in these languages?
Prachi Tehlan: Among the South Indian languages, Malayalam has been the most challenging for me while Telugu has been the easiest. Though I haven’t done a Tamil film yet, from the scripts I’ve received, I would rank it between the two in terms of difficulty.
My process for learning lines in these languages entails hiring a local translator to help render the dialogues into a mix of English and that language (Manglish or Tenglish) while also writing them down phonetically in Hindi. This helps me with proper diction. Memorizing lines in languages I’m still learning is undoubtedly time-consuming and difficult. However, with hard work and focus on grasping the essence of each scene, I’ve been fortunate to deliver convincing performances. Though not fully fluent, immersing myself in these rich languages through my craft has been deeply rewarding.
As an actress, how do you balance the reverence and respect for established actors with the need to assert your own presence and craft in shared scenes or projects?
Prachi Tehlan: As an actress with a sports background, I don’t feel pressured to balance reverence for senior actors with asserting my own presence. I approach it as any other job. Networking and staying connected with co-stars from previous projects is key – whether it’s sharing updates, meeting to discuss potential roles in upcoming films, etc.
Having worked with legends like Mammootty, I carry that confidence in presenting myself while interacting with anyone, be it Salman Khan or other Bollywood stalwarts. I don’t let the seniority overwhelm me. At the end of the day, it’s about creating opportunities for myself. I focus on effective communication, self-belief and perseverance to showcase my talent. My sports training instilled confidence to have meaningful conversations, put myself out there and not be intimidated in the presence of icons. I believe I have something valuable to offer as an artist.
As you continue to build your career in the South Indian film industry, are there any specific goals or types of roles you aspire to explore further?
Prachi Tehlan: While I’ve been fortunate to play lead roles so far, moving forward I’m open to strong character parts as well. Given COVID-driven industry shifts and the rise of OTT, I don’t want to limit myself, especially considering my unconventional height and physique. The goal is to strike a balance between lead roles and impactful characters in big banner films, while also expanding into quality web series – potentially for my digital debut.
Beyond acting, as a celebrity influencer and someone with sports background, photography pursuits and NGO affiliations, my schedule stays packed. I cherish traveling whenever possible too. Essentially, this profession entails vigorous self-management across opportunities that allow me to grow, enjoy life, and sustain myself. It’s challenging yet rewarding to balance acting aspirations with presenting my best self in media, networking relentlessly for work, and handling expenses through prudent financial planning. The aim is to uphold my dignity as an artist through versatile roles while leveraging my multifaceted interests.
