Pooja was not nervous about the nude scene

Dandupalya director Srinivas Raju says his unit went out of its way to make Pooja Gandhi comfortable when she shot the scenes for the film
Call it her commitment to playing a gritty character or a last-ditch attempt to salvage her flailing career — Pooja Gandhi, we hear, has done some rather risque acting in her upcoming film, Dandupalya. In the film — which is based on the real-life gang of serial killers of the same name — Pooja plays Laxmi, who was also part of the 11-member gang.The role also involves a nude sequence and smoking beedis on Pooja’s part as Laxmi was addicted to beedis in real life.
The movie, which will be released in two parts, has been directed by Srinivas Raju who has earlier made romantic flicks like Kote and Nannavanu. “But this time, I decided to make a crime-based story as I’ve been intrigued by the workings of this gang. Laxmi is pivotal to their crimes as she was the one who did the recce of the surroundings before the gang targeted and looted a house. When I watched Milana, I felt Pooja had the potential to be more than just a glamour doll. I felt she was apt as Laxmi is fair and is around the same age as her,” says Srinivas.
But the actor took her time to greenlight the project. “After I narrated the script, Pooja took three weeks to get back to me. When she finally did, Pooja was convinced that this would be a real challenge for her. We had long discussions about the role as this is a bold step for Pooja — it’s a far cry from the glamorous roles that she has done before,” explains the director.
Srinivas had earlier met the gang members at a jail in Belgaum and interacted with Laxmi. The nude scene is part of a sequence that features Laxmi being subjected to interrogation by the cops. “They have their tactics and tricks to get information out of such dreaded killers. So this is one such scene,” shares Srinivas, who adds, “And to make Pooja feel comfortable, we shot those scenes in the end even though she was mentally prepared and displayed no nervousness. Nobody other than the regular unit hands was allowed on the sets,” he says.
Contributed by Madhu Daithota