Sukriti Veni Bandreddi, the 14-year-old lead actor of the Telugu film Gandhi Tatha Chettu, recalls her first day on set. “We were filming montage shots of my character, Gandhi, walking from home to school. I felt overwhelmed and struggled initially. I told myself to focus on just walking.” Sukriti was 12 at the time and had trained for two months with the film’s writer-director, Padmavathi Malladi, before heading to Nizamabad and Kamareddy districts in Telangana for the shoot.
After completing her first shot, Sukriti asked Padmavathi if her performance was satisfactory. Padmavathi encouraged her to take the lead and walk faster, so the scene would align visually with the idea of Gandhi walking ahead of others. Sukriti shares, “I learned to focus on small details, like keeping my back straight. I had to portray my character’s body language.”
When the film’s trailer was released, it surprised many followers of Telugu cinema to learn that Sukriti, the daughter of director Sukumar and Thabitha Sukumar, is making her acting debut.
With the film set to release in theaters on January 24, Sukriti reflects, “A friend who watched a preview told me I didn’t look or sound like myself on screen; all she saw was Gandhi. Looking back, I wonder if I should have sounded more mature. At the time, when the director described Gandhi as an innocent, energetic girl, I interpreted her as a child and spoke in a childlike voice.”
The dialogues were recorded using sync sound (capturing sound live on set rather than in a studio). “Everyone would go silent when the director said action, and we focused on getting everything right. If we made a mistake in one line, we had to start again,” Sukriti recalls.
Set in rural Telangana during the early 2000s, Gandhi Tatha Chettu brings out a sense of place and time. Sukriti, born and raised in Hyderabad, attended summer courses at Berklee College of Music in 2023 and 2024, where she studied music theory and singing. During this interview at Mythri Movie Makers’ office in Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, Sukriti comes across as a typical urban high school student.
However, she easily switches to the Telangana Telugu dialect, which she has been familiar with since childhood. “I loved the village where we filmed and even made some friends. When the schedule ended, I asked my mom if we could stay longer.”
Acting was not a planned pursuit for Sukriti, who had been more inclined toward music. “As a child, I listened to a lot of Telugu music. Over time, I was exposed to Mexican, Turkish, and Spanish music, which broadened my perspective.”
At school, Sukriti was initially hesitant about singing. “The lead guitarist of the school band asked if I could sing. At first I refused but eventually agreed until they could find someone else. I ended up staying. The band focused on rock music.”
After moving to a new school, Sukriti’s music teacher encouraged her to explore pop and other genres, sparking her interest further. Her first summer programme at Berklee in 2023 was both educational and enjoyable. “I met so many interesting people and told my mom I wanted to return the next year.”
Sukriti with her parents Thabitha and director Sukumar
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Sukriti says she is open to exploring both singing and acting opportunities. When she first learned that the makers of Gandhi Tatha Chettu were considering her for the lead role, she was hesitant. “My parents encouraged me,” she shares.
During her initial meeting with producer Sesha Sindhu Rao and director Padmavathi Malladi, the duo noticed Sukriti’s enthusiasm as she recounted events from her school. Her animated narrations convinced Padmavathi that she had the energy and presence of an actor. That conversation turned out to be her informal audition. “I tend to talk a lot once I feel comfortable with people,” Sukriti says with a laugh. “They gave me a few lines to learn, and before I knew it, I was part of the film.”
Sukriti’s initial nervousness on set faded within a few hours as she grew comfortable in front of the camera. She even had no hesitation in shaving her head for a pivotal scene. “I told my friends at school that I shaved during a trip to Tirupati. I did not want to give away any spoilers,” she explains. The experience boosted her confidence. “I went around wearing hoodies, and I think I looked cool. The fun part was that when my hair grew back, it naturally fell into the layers of the wolf cut I had before.”
Sukriti recalls that filming the climax of the movie was both physically and emotionally demanding. The team had to complete a nine-minute sequence in a single day. With hundreds of villagers gathered and the threat of rain looming, the pressure was on. “I used glycerine at first, but I started crying for real within a few minutes. I had done crying scenes before, but the climax required close-ups, which was challenging. I remember thinking, ‘If I don’t get this right, what will I do with myself?’” She managed to deliver the scene in one take. As the tension eased, she noticed her back hurting. “My mom reminded me that I had been on my knees for the scene, so of course, it would hurt,” she says.
After the shoot, Sukriti returned to her usual routine of school and music. For nearly two years, she continued wearing the round glasses she had used for the film. Meanwhile, Gandhi Tatha Chettu was screened at several film festivals, and Sukriti received a few awards for her performance. “It felt validating,” she admits.
Looking ahead, Sukriti is unsure if she will pursue acting in the near future. However, she is certain about one thing: she wants to teach music someday. “I want to be a music teacher and work with kids,” she says.
Published – January 21, 2025 03:59 pm IST
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