Kristina Akheeva in a new avatar in Telugu film ‘Galipatam’

Actress Kristina Akheeva, who was last seen in Yamla Pagla Deewana 2, says forthcoming Telugu romantic drama Galipatam will present her in a new avatar.

“I really liked the story. Although I play a modern Telugu girl from abroad, it has a lot of scope for performance. It has unleashed the actor in me,” Akheeva said.

“I may still appear glamorous in the film, but the role has given me an opportunity to act. The story is very progressive, bold and has not been attempted before in the language. It’s not a typical love story that has been redone a million times,” she said.

Akheeva is nervous about her Telugu debut, but hopes “people will accept her in the industry”.

Although Akheeva is a newcomer, she says she never felt discriminated against while working. “I’ve been extremely lucky and everybody I’ve worked with has accepted me. People are ready to give me a lot of time to understand and prepare, especially the dialogues, since I don’t know the language. I always felt welcomed,” she said.

Right attitude

But Akheeva believes that it’s one’s attitude that will eventually earn one respect. “You need to have the right attitude to be treated well. When I come to the sets, I’m extremely passionate about the work I do. I try to be really happy and warm with everyone. When people feel that vibe around me, they don’t mind spending extra time to help me,” she added.

Galipatam, which is directed by Naveen Gandhi, also features Aadi Pudipeddi and Erica Fernandes in important roles. It releases in India on Friday.

Working with a young team was a lot of “fun”, says Akheeva, and added: “We all ended up being good friends. At the moment, they are on a promotional tour and I regret not being part of it as I’m busy shooting for my Kannada film.”

Akheeva is currently shooting for Uppi 2 with Upendra.

She says she never aspires to play certain roles but would “love to play a village belle”. In Uppi 2, she gets to play one. “I play a village girl in my Kannada debut. We are shooting in a village and I’ve proved all those who laughed at me wrong. The reason I love playing these roles is because they are not going to come to me easy,” she said.

“I need to put a lot of time and effort to pull off this role. I don’t want to always play a foreign girl. Challenging roles excite me,” she added.

Akheeva hasn’t signed any new projects. She first wants “my Telugu film to release and see how I’m being accepted by people”.