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

Ritu Varma: ‘Swag’ is an entertaining satire on gender dynamics, inheritance and lineage. The Telugu film starring Sree Vishnu, Meera Jasmine and Daksha Nagarkar, directed by Hasith Goli, releases on OCtober 4

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. 

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.”

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.

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.”