Known for her acting skills in Madhuri talkies web series, Tejashree Jadhav is a popular theatre artist, well-known for her sizzling photo shoots. Acting is everything for this young lady who goes the extra mile to win the hearts of her south Indian audience. Born in a Marathi speaking family in Mumbai, she came down to the south to achieve her celluloid dreams. Tejashree shares her journey from aspiration to accomplishments and her upcoming projects with Provoke Magazine.

How did you get the opportunity to enter Tollywood?
During my college days I started doing theatre and people used to come to watch. They used to refer me to a few producers, directors and actors and through references and auditions I got into movies. The teams who I worked with have been amazing and very cooperative to work with. I love the south film industry, be it Telugu or Tamil. All together it’s a different kind of experience. My recent project is based in a small village. It’s a love subject and talks about people’s mentality towards love marriages and how a few youngsters change their mentality. The story surrounds about that and how they succeed. I play quite an important role in changing the mentality of the people in the village. The journey is going great and quite difficult as we all know this industry is not easy and has its ups and downs. I’m still working on it and surviving. I still have a long way to go.

Who is your favourite actress and how did she inspire you?
I have seen Nayantara’s work and she is a self-made person who worked really hard and came a long way and I like the way her career graph has shaped. She is the female superstar right now. She made the right choice when picking the kind of movies she did. She chose mostly women-oriented roles and that is what inspires me. I want to do projects that are women centric. I look up to her because I come from a defence family background and I would like to do projects where they portray women in a strong way. That’s why she is my favourite.

Who is your dream actor and director?
I would like to work with actor Arya, Vijay Devarakonda, Mani Ratnam sir and AR Murugadoss sir.

Which is that one thing that you feel is your plus point?
Being born and brought up in a defence family, I would say discipline is deeply rooted inside me. I’m also very straight forward. There are times you tend to get carried away with your friend’s circle and want to change with the ways of the world. When I was away from my family, I realised that discipline in me has been deeply rooted since childhood and I’m going to carry it with me lifelong.

Would you like to share an unforgettable compliment you have received?
It’s common for girls to get a lot of random compliments during teenage years, but one compliment I specifically remember was during a shoot break time when everyone left and I was on a couch and waiting for my next scene. I was new on the sets and was quite excited. The director of the movie came to me and said ‘I really appreciate your dedication’. That was my unforgettable compliment which motivates me and keeps me going.

Any one bad habit which you want to change?
People who are very close to me know actually that I’m always late. Though I’m dedicated and disciplined at work, this is one thing that is very difficult for me to change and I literally have to push myself to be on time. I’m a little lazy and this is a bad habit I really want to change.

Have you ever been caught red-handed in the shooting spot doing mischievous things?
I do a lot of mischievous things but not on the shooting spot. I’m very sincere when it comes to work. I have troubled my parents a lot in my childhood days.

What kind of a man would you like to date?
My future boyfriend should be 6 feet tall, with a good sense of humour, should smell good, should be well educated, classy and hot at the same time. Love is unpredictable and if I find these qualities in a person I will go for it.

What’s your fashion statement?
Fashion is something which tells about person’s personality. So it is very important to be comfortable firstly in whatever you wear only then one can pull it off. I have always believed in being stylish but classy. Except for my shoots I never really had any stylist for myself. For every personal and professional occasion and event, I preferred styling on my own. I believe that no matter what you wear, don’t forget to wear your confidence. As it’s the most important accessory. Carrying yourself with confidence can pull off any kind of outfit you wear.

What are your upcoming projects?
I’m working on my debut in Tollywood. I have done a few Tamil movies which are going to release soon. There is an upcoming web series called Master Stroke also. Currently, I’m working on a Marathi historic movie and a Hindi web film named Joker where I’m playing the lead role. I’m also acting in a Tamil movie.

– By Vinitha Venkatesha