Bhagyashri Borse on ‘Lenin’ Success: ‘I Feel Doubly Motivated Now’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Bhagyashri Borse is emerging as one of Indian cinema’s promising young talents. After brief appearances in “Yaariyan 2” and “Chandu Champion,” she debuted in Telugu cinema with “Mr. Bachchan.” She followed it up with Telugu films Kingdom, Andhra King Taluka and the Tamil film Kaantha. The actor is thrilled about the success of her latest release, “Lenin,” opposite Akhil Akkineni. She talks about finding motivation in box-office validation, her bond with Akhil Akkineni, and her career choices.

How have the days since 'Lenin'’s release been? 

It’s been very overwhelming, filled with all the happy emotions possible. I’ve been waiting for this since quite some time. Consistent hard work is what got me here. I feel doubly motivated now. I don’t want to waste a single day. I feel like all of us need that little bit of motivation that comes with success.

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Both your co-star Akhil Akinneni and you must have been awaiting this? Is there another project on the cards for you both?

That’s true. He’s been working really hard too. He has been very supportive. He was shy when we began shooting, but was always very cooperative and down-to-earth. It was fun to work with him. Throughout the making, we were only focused on getting into our characters, Lenin and Bharti, to get the chemistry right. We were discussing what our next script would be. So, we thought we’d give it some time and we’ll hopefully find a beautiful story again.

You have spoken about your early struggles. How has your family reacted to your success? 

Honestly, for my family, I was always the star, the apple of their eyes. They were happy to see their little girl acting with such great actors and being a known face in the industry. We come from a very different world, where we saw stars in the theatre and never imagined  I would be one of them up there. My parents are very innocent. They don’t know what commercial success is. They don’t know what numbers mean. For them, their daughter being on the big screen is a big blessing. 

You went through a phase when, you know, you were considered unlucky?

I wouldn’t say it hurt me, but it confused me because it didn’t make sense. Then, I learned from people in the industry that it wasn’t about me. Many girls have gone through this. Taapsee Pannu told me about it. She said she was called Iron Leg. Shruti Haasan and Sreeleela as well. It didn’t make any sense to me because I wasn’t part of the industry and didn’t understand how it worked. I wondered how an actress, who is not present at the edit table and is not told when the script is being changed or scenes are removed, could be blamed for a film’s failure? For that matter, how can any actor be blamed for a film’s failure? I feel like we are all a part of a cricket team, and if the team fails to score, it doesn’t mean the one individual has failed. 

You have been a part of two Hindi films. Why did you decide to focus on Telugu films?

I moved to Mumbai from Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar to pursue business management. I started modeling while I was studying. Then I decided to give acting a shot and see if it makes me happy. After working in “Yaariyan 2” and “Chandu Champion,” I realized that it made me very happy. For me, it’s always been about choosing a career that makes me happy, not about the money. I decided that I want to go for lead roles and do the best work, which I found easier in Telugu cinema.