Mamta Mohandas became a celebrity in Tollywood with her hit song Rakhee Rakhee, and soon consolidated her position, with another chartbuster, Aakalesthe Annam Pedatha. As an actress she was able to make a mark in Yamagdonga. The talented beauty in a candid chat with Hyderabad Times talks about her journey in Tollywood.

On the exodus of actresses from Kerala
Kerala is a small state and people are forced to search for a livelihood in other parts of the country and actresses are no exeption.. Although the girls from Kerala are blessed with big, beautiful eyes, healthy hair and arresting features, the film industry in Kerala is male-dominated. A heroine there barely earns Rs 3-9 lakh, whereas in the Telugu and Tamil film industry, the earnings are ten times more. I find Tollywood a safer place to work in and besides, the Malayalam film industry is not rich. Originality is also fast waning and filmmakers are mostly copying or remaking films.

On her foray into Tollywood
Initially the going was not easy. I was replaced in Aata by Ileana and by Anushka in Don It hurt, but I took it my stride. It was Rajamouli who stood by me and introduced me as an actress in the film Yamadonga In my second film, - Krishnarjuna , I felt at home, working with star producer Mohan Babu and found him strikingly straightforward. Now, I am doing two more films --- Homam , and a film directed by Ravikumar Chowdary.

On remuneration
There are rumours that I demand a huge remuneration. Money is not my chief concern, I would be happier if I could find a good producer, director and hero.

On being a singer
I got closer to the Telugu audiences first as a playback singer. When Devi Sri Prasad introduced me as a singer, they called me another Bhanumati. It is a great compliment to me. I am trained in both Hindustani and Western classical music.

On her love life
The worst rumour in my career happened when I was working for Lanka. Suresh Gopi played the role of a libidinous shippie, with negative shades and I played the role of a sex-plosive dancer and had to do provocative numbers. Rumours broke out about an affair between us. I felt humiliated and tortured but soon overcame the trauma. The latest rumour here in Tollywood is the affair between me and singer Devi Sri Prasad. I prefer not to react to rumours because the more you react, the cruder they get."