Anushka Shetty Opens Up On Break From Acting After Baahubali: ‘It Was By Choice’ –

Actress Anushka Shetty, popular for her roles in primarily Tamil and Telugu cinema, won over Hindi audiences in 2015 as Devasena in the pan-India Baahubali franchise. However, unlike her co-stars Prabhas and Tamannaah Bhatia, who continue to venture further into Bollywood, Anushka did not take the pan-India route further. In a recent interview, she revealed the reason behind her decision not to pursue more pan-India films.

Talking to The Indian Express, Anushka said, “Once I finished Baahubali, I had my commitment with Bhaagamathie, and then I wanted to take some time off. It was by choice. It was something I needed the most at that time. Back then, I felt like doing that so I would be more present for my future projects. I know it’s totally unheard of. It’s not what is expected of people. I don’t have a concrete answer for it, but I really wanted some time off. I didn’t listen to any script but after that, I have been listening. So surely if something exciting comes by, I will do it. Be it any language across the country.”

After SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali, Anushka starred in the 2018 Telugu film Bhaagamathie and then in the 2020 bilingual film Nishabdham. The actress has since largely remained absent from the big screen. Now, she will be seen in the film Miss Shetty Mr Polishetty.

Talking about the film, the actress shared, “This (Miss Shetty Mr Polishetty) was the first project after the break because I actually heard it in 2019, and then Covid happened. So we just started shooting for it in the latter half of last year, and we are ready with it now. I believe that you are your first audience. I am definitely looking for something that can push me to wake up at 5:30 in the morning.”

In the movie, Anushka plays the character of Chef Anvitha Ravali Shetty who tries to navigate her relationship with Siddhu Polishetty (played by Naveen Polishetty) as they deal with the myriad events of life.