The actor, fresh from her ‘Bigil’ success plays the unusual role of a drummer in this to-be-released Telugu romantic flick
The teaser of Chusi Chudangane featuring producer Raj Kandukuri’s son Siva and Varsha Bollamma as the lead pair, has given rise to speculation that it could be a rip off of the Hindi film Wake Up Sid. Varsha is quick to deny, “Not at all. The overall look might have given people that feeling, but it story isn’t that. There is another heroine played by Malvika Sateeshan,” she says.

Varsha may be new to Telugu audience but she has had two Tamil hits, 96 and Bigil (Whistle in Telugu). The producers of Chusi Chudangane saw her in 96 and offered her the film. She reveals that her role in Chusi Chudangane is of a drummer, something she has never attempted before, and she thoroughly enjoyed playing the part. She adds, “Once I began playing the drums, I noticed the instrument gives a lot of freedom and there is power to it. I am part of a music troupe and the music director as well. It is not a sweet role though, am a little bold. The director was sceptical because he thought I have an innocent face but once the workshop started, they were happy.”

Varsha was a part of school plays, but when she auditioned for dramatics at college, she wasn’t selected. That left her heart broken. She recalls, “I remember imitating Aamir Khan and people cheering me. People who were selected didn’t get that kind of applause; that happened when I was in the XII Std.”

The vivacious Coorgi girl always wanted to be an actor. Her friend tagged her onto a FB page of a casting agency and she was immediately called for an audition and got selected for a Tamil film. In Whistle she plays a traditional Brahmin girl who puts her passion for football on the backburner and resigns herself to being a homemaker. After the film released, lot of people messaged her that they could connect with her character. Even boys texted that their mother went through the same situation and they will make sure their wife won’t have to go through it again.

Talk about the irony of working with Vijay in Whistle and another Vijay (Sethupati) in 96 in the initial stages of her career, she quips, “I don’t know which Vijay is in line next! When you work with them, you know why they are superstars. Even after they are reaching the level they are in, their consistent dedication inspires you.”

With her flair for languages, Varsha finds it easy to straddle fim industries in the south. She is currently working in a film featuring Anand Deverakonda as the hero. The director Vinod is a newcomer and was initially trying to find a Telugu speaking girl since he was planning to make the film in sync sound. Finally he roped in Varsha but got her part dubbed. “I grasp things quite well, the role calls for a Guntur dialect and I dubbed for it. But sync sound is tough; if my expressions came out well, modulation wouldn’t be good. Five to six takes for each shot is not a good thing, so I’m glad it didn’t happen. Even when I was dubbing for it, I felt it was entering an exam hall. Getting back all those emotions, the feel you had while performing is tough. But the end result is satisfying.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Entertainment> Movies / by Y. Sunita Chowdhary / November 19th, 2019

Golden brown cauliflower bartadu, traditional kumm curry and akki payasam — taste the best of the Kodava cuisine at Novotel’s Coorg food festival.

Chennai :

On a balmy Sunday afternoon, we headed to Novotel, Chamiers Road to experience the goodness of the Kodava cuisine. A delightful combination of mouthwatering curries made with seasonal vegetables, meat-based dishes and preparations whipped from fresh harvest awaited us, as part of their 10-day long Flavours of Coorg food festival.

As we entered the restaurant, the aroma of fried mustard seeds and curry leaves took over our olfactory senses. Our stomach growled in hunger, in anticipation of what we were about to be served from their special Coorgi menu.

Sous chef Gopi, who worked for four years in Coorg has used his expertise to collaborate with a traditional home chef, Smitha Kuttayya, and present the menu.For the appetiser, a plate of cauliflower bartadu — battered cauliflower, fried till golden-brown and coated with spices was served.

“It’s a simple dish, but can be found in most Coorgi homes,” said city-based chef Smitha Kuttayya, founder of Global Theeni, co-curator of the menu. The bartadu, textured like tiny morsels of vegan popcorn had a battered crust crumbled into a soft and juicy cauliflower florette. The spices tickled the tongue with bursts of heat while the cauliflower melted into a layer of cream that tasted mildly sweet.

Next, three sardines were neatly plated on a circle cut from a banana leaf — we were about to taste the finger-licking good mathi meen. The fish was coated with salt and pepper, shallow fried and drizzled with lemon juice, allowing the sourness of the lemon to complement the meat. For the main course, a generous portion of otti (flatbreads) with a traditional kumm curry was served. The rice flour rotis were white and soaked up a good amount of kumm (mushroom) curry when dipped.

The kumm curry — a delicious concoction of coconut milk, chilli powder, mustard seeds and curry leaves burst with flavours. “Coorgis are all farmers and we use what we find on the land. The mushrooms we use are small and can be found right after the first bout of rain. In the city, I’ve only found the button mushroom. So I use that to prepare the dish,” said Smitha.

Before we knew it, it was time for dessert and a plate of kuvalé puttu was served with two portions wrapped in banana leaves. “We are rice growers. This preparation is the simple combination of ripe bananas and rice with a dash of cardamom to add flavour,” she said.

The subtly sweet dish is served with a garnish of sliced almonds. The bananas add sweetness while the rice adds a soft texture you wouldn’t mind biting into. The akki payasam was the perfect end to the three-course meal. Prepared with rice, jaggery, raisins, cashews and cardamom the payasam has no milk. “This dish passes all health tests and is suitable for gluten-free eaters and vegans,” said Smitha.

“As a community, we love to experiment in the kitchen. Both my paternal and maternal grandmother were voracious cooks. Everything you were served today has come from books they have personally written. They have been directly replicated on your plate without any change,” Smitha said.

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source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express Home> Lifestyle> Food / by Naaz Ghani / Express News Service / November 13th, 2019