A cognitive behaviour therapist by profession now, Anshu confirms her interest in returning to films after a two-decade-long sabbatical
There’s always greater curiosity around actresses who enjoyed their moment under the sun, embraced their short-lived limelight and dropped everything out of the blues to explore greener pastures. The continued love for Geethanjali fame Girija perhaps best explains this and later, we’ve had names like Shamili, Anshu, Richa Gangopadhyay and Anu Mehta, whom audiences still remember fondly.
Well, we have one among them eager to don the greasepaint again. Anshu, who forayed into Telugu cinema with Manmadhudu and went on to act in only a handful of films like Raghavendra, Missamma and Jai later, has expressed her interest to return to films. In conversation with Youtuber, actor Nikhil Vijayendra Simha, Anshu said she’s finally succumbed to her itch to return to films.
The actress, who married Sachin Saggar briefly after Raghavendra, is now a cognitive behaviour therapist by profession besides owning a fashion label. A British-Indian woman by her origins, Anshu entered films when she was barely 15-16 and returned to academics after a 3-year-long film stint. Anshu shared that entering into the industry quite early probably prompted her to quit films.
Down memory lane
Anshu recalled her times with co-stars Prabhas, Nagarjuna and remembered having masti on sets, meeting actor counterparts over social gatherings and parties but admitted they were colleagues more than friends. She shared an interesting piece of trivia about attending acting classes with Allari Naresh and they were almost cast together in a film (Thotti Gang), which she backed out of.
Her father remained quite protective of her in those years, understandably owing to her vulnerable age. She found solace in academics and continued to study post marriage, making her eligible to be a therapist. While she was a hands-on mum handling two kids and putting them to sleep at about 7-8 pm, Anshu confessed to spending many all-nighters to pursue her academic ambitions.
When Anshu was hurt
The actress says she was quite hurt about being trolled for her weight again after having two children, but used it as a trigger to take charge of her health. Anshu confesses that she tried every diet in the book and ultimately treaded the slow-and-steady approach with her food and exercise patterns to be fit. She opines physical and mental health often complement each other.
With her children being independent teenagers now, Anshu no longer needs to do the hand-holding at home and can sail on two boats. Technically, she hasn’t been away from acting all this while, she has continued to work in theatre and has been part of a few commercials as well. Manmadhudu’s re-release inspired her to try her hand at films again and return to Hyderabad.
Anshu says she is ready to embrace any role across mediums, provided she gets to make an impact. “I am not concerned with my screen time and don’t even mind doing theatre if the right opportunity comes my way. I’m quite open about working newer generation of actors, with whom I can also learn a lot. The industry has changed drastically and there’s much catching up to do.”
