Sri Gouri Priya; with Kiran Abbavaram in the film
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
“Entering a packed cinema hall of around 800 people, listening to them cheer and call me by my character name Nivi (Nivedita) has been both humbling and a validation of my choices,” says actor Sri Gouri Priya, taking in the appreciation for her Telugu film Chennai Love Story, which released on July 24. Taking time off for this interview before joining her team for a post-release event in Hyderabad, she says portraying the layered character was “physically and emotionally draining.”In director Ravi Namburii’s Chennai Love Story, written and produced by Sai Rajesh, Gouri plays a woman who finds refuge in alcohol after being ghosted on her wedding day. The love story that blooms eventually also takes unexpected turns and emotional upheavals. Gouri agreed to do the film the very day the story was narrated to her, and began preparing soon after. “I am inquisitive. Beyond what’s in the script, I spoke to the director and Sai Rajesh garu to understand Nivedita’s psyche.” She was keen to know the character’s strengths and vulnerabilities so she could develop her body language and tone of speech. “All this helped the performance fall in place.” Gouri also pitched in with her perspectives on how the character is likely to react to situations.The recognition Gouri is getting for Chennai Love Story can also be looked at as a major turning point in her career. Ever since she debuted in Telugu with Mail: Kambalapalli Kathaluand in Tamil with the anthology Modern Love Chennai, she has mostly chosen characters that have a voice.
