'I intend to give a fresh twist to my role'

l Exciting path

If Kangana Ranaut can do it, Parul Yadav too can, albeit differently. Parul, who is reprising Kangana’s role in ‘Queen’ in the Kannada version of the movie, says she is hopeful of giving a new dimension  to the character.

However, she says candidly that she can’t better Kangana’s benchmark-setting performance. But she has ample room to render the character differently as the Kannada version, titled ‘Butterfly’, is no copycat.

In an interview with Nina C George, Parul shares her experience  of shooting for ‘Butterfly’.

Has the controversy surrounding the remake of ‘Queen’ settled down?
Yes it has. We bought the rights to remake ‘Queen’  in four languages — Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil and Kannada.

Tell us a bit about the Kannada version...
The Kannada remake will be directed by Ramesh Aravind which means that the original movie will undergo a lot of changes to suit the local palate.  

What clinched ‘Butterfly’ for you?
I am known for my performance-oriented roles and my role in ‘Butterfly’ in very intense and requires a strong display of emotions.

The story behind the title...
The evolution of my character and that of a butterfly is very similar. I slowly move away from being an introvert in the first half of the film to a more confident person towards the end.

Are you nervous about playing the same character as Kangana in ‘Queen’?
To be honest, I am definitely nervous. There were a lot of other actors who declined to do the role because it involves a lot of challenges. I cannot outdo Kangana’s performance but I intend to give a fresh twist to my role.

How different is your character from the original?
There will be a huge change in my appearance, dialect and body language. In reality, I am a very confident person. I grew up in Mumbai and the culture there has made me a strong person. But now, I have to unlearn that and tone down my confidence levels to slip into the character because I portray a girl from the countryside.

Who is playing the male lead?
We haven’t found a male lead as yet because men, in general, refuse to play second fiddle to a woman. Not many men like to act in projects that have women in the lead. It is unfortunate that this mindset has still not changed.     

What next?
I have been asked not to sign any other project till I am done with the shooting of ‘Butterfly’. So I am taking it slow and easy for now.