Raju Weds Rambai, the upcoming romantic drama directed by Saailu Kampati, is based on a true disturbing set of events that took place in 2015 in Illendu near Khammam. The element of rustic authenticity, hence, is very crucial to the narrative. For Tejaswi, who plays an innocent village girl in Raju Weds Rambai, the biggest challenge was to acquire the native Telangana slang. “I grew up in Rajahmundry and naturally have a Godavari slang. But Rambai is a girl from Telangana, and I had to learn the dialect and slang. My director is from Telangana, so he trained me on where to stress, how to pronounce words, etc... He guided me throughout the film, and I simply followed his instructions,” says Tejaswi.
Raju Weds Rambai marks Tejaswi’s sophomore feature film after Committee Kurrollu. However, the actor clarifies that she had signed Raju Weds Rambai first, after the director noticed her in an online clip sent to him by Tejaswi's friend. “I started working in short films in 2019, and it took nearly five years for me to land my first feature film. Later, director Yadhu Vamsi too happened to watch one of my short films and invited me for an audition. That’s how Committee Kurrollu happened,” she says.
Speaking about portraying Rambai in her upcoming film, Tejaswi notes, “I played her exactly the way my director envisioned her. After the trailer was released, all my friends called me and appreciated my performance. No one said anything negative, and they felt nothing looked artificial. Now, I'm waiting for the judgment from the audience when they watch it in theatres.”
Expressing her deep attachment to Rambai, Tejaswi says, “I genuinely believe Rambai is one of the most beautifully written female characters in Telugu cinema. The character has so many layers. She’s cute and cheerful with Raju, strong when facing challenges, and vulnerable when yearning for her father’s acceptance of her love."
The climax, Tejaswi reveals, was the toughest part of the film. “Shooting the climax was emotionally draining. The last 30 minutes are extremely intense. After performing those scenes, it was hard for me to come out of that emotional state. That’s how powerful the experience was. We even did workshops to ensure the emotion lands strongly with the audience,” she adds.
Talking about her future projects, she says, “I’m currently working on a Tamil film with Prabu Solomon sir. I haven’t signed any new Telugu films yet, but I’m listening to scripts. I choose stories as an audience, and I take it up only if the script excites me,” she concludes.
