Ritu Varma: ‘Swag’ is an entertaining satire on gender dynamics, inheritance and lineage

Ritu Varma as Rukmini Devi and Anubhuti in ‘Swag’
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

In many of her films, be it an urban rom-com or a con-drama, Ritu Varma has enacted characters with a voice, and never considered pushovers. Yet, when director Hasith Goli gave her a detailed narration of Swag, she was surprised. Swag, the Telugu film releasing on October 4, is short for ‘Swaganika vamsam’; the story that unfolds over different timelines has Ritu in a dual role – as queen Rukmini Devi in the past, and civil engineer Anubhuti in the present. 

Settling down for this interview in Hyderabad after returning from a shooting schedule in Rajahmundry, Ritu says, “I liked Hasith’s first film, Raja Raja Chora, and thought he would narrate a romcom. Nothing prepared me for what I was going to hear.” She describes Swag as an entertaining satire on gender dynamics, inheritance and lineage. 

Satire on gender equations

The story which touches upon concepts of matrilineal and patrilineal societies, Ritu explains, gave her the scope to do something she had not done before. “It felt like a breath of fresh air and came to me when I was eager to sign a Telugu film.”

Director Hasith Goli and Ritu Varma on the sets of ‘Swag’
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

As Rukmini Devi, she portrays a domineering queen who does not take kindly to male heirs. Hasith gave her a few references of queens of India and she also keenly observed Ramya Krishna as Sivagami in Baahubali. “We worked on Rukmini Devi’s look and body language. She is dressed regally, with jewellery, has a unibrow and wears coloured lenses that heighten her authoritative demeanour.”

For civil engineer Anubhuti, Ritu sports a tanned look with messy clothes and unkempt hair, given that she spends considerable time near construction sites. “Anubhuti is fiery and asserts herself when she comes across any injustice. Both these characters are far removed from who I am in real life. I am all for equality, but I am soft spoken and quiet.”

Swag pitches Ritu in a film with Sree Vishnu after their respective debuts as solo leads in the 2013 film Prema Ishq Kaadhal. In Swag, their characters are not in a romantic relationship. “This also came as a surprise when I heard the story,” she recalls.

Straddling two languages

Ritu was last seen in Telugu cinema in Varudu Kavalenu and Oke Oka Jeevitham (Kanam in Tamil). She looks at Swag as an entertaining yet experimental film that will help her make her presence felt. “To date, I am touched when people come up and talk to me, at shooting spots or when I am travelling, sometimes recalling scenes from Pelli Choopulu, Varudu… or my Tamil film Kannum Kannum Kollai Adithal (Kanulu Kanulanu Dochayante). I never planned to be an actress and I am grateful for all this recognition.” 

Ritu Varma
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement/Pranil Chintewar

Ritu has featured in Telugu and Tamil films, and says, “It is a good space to be. I will not claim that I get too many scripts; it is still a challenge to find interesting films. But I am thankful that filmmakers think of me for certain characters.” Having acted in Nitham Oru Vaanam, Modern Love Hyderabad and Modern Love Chennai, she prefers to read scripts to understand the thought process of her characters.

In the case of Swag, the detailed backstories and discussions with Hasith Goli helped. “Hasith is knowledgeable and gave me more information than I asked for. Swag has been made on a larger scale than Raja Raja Chora and he handled the film with confidence and grace. After the shoot, I would go home satisfied at having done good work. It involved a lot of unlearning and learning and I have happy memories of working in this film.”

Digital space

Ritu has also been filming for a Telugu web series for Disney Hotstar, details of which are still under wraps. “It is about a girl on a journey of self-discovery,” is all that she can reveal now. Coming up next are two Telugu films, one an entertainer and the other, a murder mystery. 

Since she states that she never planned to be an actress, I ask if she ever wondered what course her life might have taken had she not entered cinema. “I have not given it much thought. I have an engineering degree but cinema is what I love. Initially, I had no long-term plans but gradually, I began enjoying acting and became passionate about my work.” When not in front of the camera, she spends her time painting or reading (she mentions Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s The Forest of Enchantments and The Palace of Illusions among her favourite reads). “Reading and painting help me escape reality for a while and I enjoy that too.”