Fidaa, Love Story, Shyam Singha Roy, Amaran and now Thandel: 5 Movies That Prove Sai Pallavi is a Terrific Actor

If we take a list of Southern cinema’s most talented actresses, Sai Pallavi Senthamarai’s name comes right at the top. Not only is she extremely talented, but she commits and promotes a movie with all her might just like the protagonist would. Be it Amaran, Shyam Singha Roy, or now Thandel, Ms.Pallavi knows the impact and the buzz she can generate with her sheer presence. 

Take Thandel for instance. Right from the moment the song “Bujji Thalli” was released, there has been a positive vibe surrounding the film. While Devi Sri Prasad’s music and Javed Ali’s vocals have a lot to do with this, Sai Pallavi’s presence made a huge difference. Especially for a love story, the amount of effort that she puts in clearly reflects on-screen. 

Even though it’s a team effort, it’s safe to say that Sai Pallavi deserves a lot of credit for Thandel’s success. With that being said, let us look at some of the best performances of Ms.Pallavi ever since her 2015 Premam debut. 

Fidaa 

While Sai Pallavi made her presence felt in Premam, it was with Fidaa that she got closer to the Telugu audiences. With a legendary director like Sekhar Kammula at the helm, Pallavi stole people’s hearts with a gracious portrayal of Bhanumathi. A happy-go-lucky girl, Sai Pallavi aced the accent and even showed how she can display a wide range of emotions in a language not known to her. Fidaa turned out to be one of the biggest hits in Mr.Kammula’s career and a major chunk of the credit for the movie’s success should be given to Sai Pallavi. 

Virata Parvam 

One of the best movies to ever come out of Telugu cinema, Virata Parvam, directed by Venu Udugula, has Sai Pallavi playing Vennela, a girl who grew up in Warangal district when the tensions between Naxals and the Police were at their peak. Having grown up inspired by her father’s poetry, Vennela begins to admire the works of Comrade Ravanna (played by Rana Daggubati). Like in every film, Pallavi added so much depth to her character that it becomes impossible to imagine Virata Parvam without Vennela. If Fidaa was the film that made Sai Pallavi reach Telugu people’s hearts, Virata Parvam cemented her place as a fine actress. 

Love Story 

Directed by Sekhar Kammula, Love Story has Chaitanya and Sai Pallavi playing two middle-class adults falling in love but are forced to face the demons of caste and class that separate the two. Known for making breezy love stories, Kammula managed to blend his politics with a beautiful love story and the result is magical. Pallavi was at the top of her game throughout and it was a joy to watch her perform on-screen. Despite minor flaws, Love Story did cross the finish line and Ms.Pallavi’s role was crucial in the result. 

Shyam Singha Roy 

Nani has changed his path post-Jersey and when he finds a brilliant co-star in Sai Pallavi, the result would be nothing short of magnanimous. Pallavi played Rosie, a devadasi in the post-independence era of Bengal. Nani, who played the titular role, brings Rosie out of the prison she is in, and in terms of pure chemistry, the duo worked their magic on screen. Be it Pranavaalaya or Sirivennela - both Nani and Pallavi lived in their roles and the audience felt the love they felt while watching the above two songs.

Amaran 

Probably the toughest role in Sai Pallavi’s career, Amaran worked its wonders at the box office by telling the true love story between Major Mukund Varadarajan and Indu Rebecca Varghese. Playing a real-life character was always a tough task but Ms.Pallavi aced the role to perfection. Especially the one scene where the camera just stays on her towards the end when Indu learns of her husband’s passing, she made us bawl our eyes out with extraordinary acting. There was no music in the scene, the camera stayed on her and it was one of the most memorable scenes ever in the history of Tamil cinema.

Sai Pallavi deserves a lot of credit for choosing some tough stories to enact and the role she played in the movie Gargi will forever be remembered. Playing a school teacher who was determined to prove her father’s innocence, Pallavi displayed utmost maturity in displaying mixed emotions. 

Alongside Gargi, another notable mention should go to her portrayal of Sumathi in Vetri Maaran’s critically acclaimed short in the Netflix anthology, “Paava Kadhaigal”. The film also stars the brilliant Prakash Raj and it was as if they were competing with each other as to who was outperforming the other. The movie has got Vetri Maaran written all over and it’s also one of Pallavi’s best roles to remember.