Kamilinee Mukherjee, who broke through in Telugu cinema in early 2000s with her work in Anand and Godavari, took a sabbatical from acting in mid 2010s, never to return again. In a recent and rare public apperance, the actor spoke about her experience in Telugu industry and how the Ram Charan starrer Govindudu Andarivadele was a trigger point for her sabbatical.
Talking to YouTube channel Refresh RitMo, Kamilinee recalled, “The shoot part of Govindudu Andarivadele was really amazing. Towards the end of it, I felt a little out of place. Not because of the crew, the actors were very supportive, but I wasnt comfortable how my role in the film turned out. It wasn’t a fight or anything like that.” Recalling how this played a big turning point in her career, the actor added, “I just stepped back from Telugu cinema, because I felt hurt for the way it turned out. I don’t hold anything against anyone. But that’s when I thought maybe I should explore other languages, which can give me more breathing space to do the kind of cinema I want to do and use my potential to the fullest."
Kamilinee also shared that she isn’t in touch with Sekhar Kammula, with whom she collaborated on three most iconic films of their careers — Anand, Godavari, and Happy Days. She added, “Film is about all inspiration Sometimes, you find inspiration in a character or actor. Sometimes, there are other things that control star power or money. As you proceed in your journey, those things change. Sekhar found his inspiration in different places, and I moved on to different films. I am sure we still share the passion for cinema. We grew together with those films. After Sekhar, I haven’t had such creative fusion with any other director. ”
After Govindudu Andarivadele, Kamilinee Mukherjee worked in three more films Cousins, Iraivi Yazhini, and Pulimurugan, before taking a complete break from acting.