Ananya Nagalla (Vakeel Saab), making brilliant waves with each step

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Ananya Nagalla

Ananya Nagalla is best known to us through the acclaimed hits Mallesham and Vakeel Saab. The lady behind the roles may be a simple girl, but the grit in her bones has the potential to make her something more. With her first film itself, she has shown that she is serious about her career. The accolades that followed never hurt. With more films under her belt, she is taking steps with positive thoughts in her mind. The actress is not afraid of failures and rejections. She inculcates the right attitude to learn from them and those around her. Acting and fitness have taken over a major part of her life. There is much to find out behind the pretty girl that Ananya is. Read on to get inspired by her mature approach towards life. 

A quiet and determined childhood

Ananya Nagalla is not your typical youngster. She has a maturity that puts her on the route to an anchored career. She was born to Venkateshwar Rao Nagalla and Vishnupriya Nagalla on August 1st in Khammam district. Her father, a farmer, passed away during her childhood in an unfortunate accident. Ananya as a little girl was quite studious. Her routine primarily included school and homework. With her mother’s encouragement to excel and find a good job, it was no wonder she topped her classes. 

Ananya Nagalla is very close to her brother who supports her immensely. However, it was not always the approach when she first began stepping into the film industry. He was and is forever her safety net. Hence, he was initially a voice of reason telling her that she might not be able to do it. He might not have been fond of her ideas, but after the movie Mallesham he realized she had a spark. Since then he has been a solid support during every moment. 

Growing up, it was her, her mother and her brother together in the world. From the many memories they built together, she mostly remembers trailing her brother to any game he used to play. Particularly during the recent lockdown, they didn’t step out of their homes for nearly a month, which cemented the bond further. The trio used to wake up, cook together, chat and watch movies. It made the difficult times rather bearable. 

College means best days

Ananya Nagalla finished her schooling in Khammam and graduated in Imbrahimpatnam, near Hyderabad. Her education passed in a cloud of studies, good grades and good behavior. Interestingly, her Intermediate is when she came of age and discovered her fun side. It was then that she realized that enjoying a little is not a hindrance to studies. “It is not actually necessary to get the first rank to get a good job,” she notes. Those days were her most favorite growing up, particularly because it was possible to be fun-loving as well as top the class. 

As the saying goes, time flies when you’re having fun. True to that, Ananya reminisces her Intermediate days as having passed by very quickly. She remembers little quirky things like going to the Principal’s office, making someone confused and then acting innocent. Going through B.Tech was as normal as an Engineering student could hope. Missing classes was common among them. She treasures all the small but lively moments. 

Friends, the pillars of support

For Ananya Nagalla, her best friend Sandhya has been with her since they were little kids and are very much a part of each other’s lives. Another friend, Sathvik, has also been beside her since before she entered the film industry. He is constantly there for her with his unwavering support. Her friends, about 6 of them, are a source of joy. 

A bundle of positivity

For Ananya Nagalla, people are a canvas of color from which you can learn new qualities. Be it old friends or new acquaintances, every person she meets lets her improve in a small or big way. She observes and imbibes her favorite positive qualities. Whether she applies it or not, in recent times especially, she definitely takes the positivity that she gets. “In that sense there are many role models for me,” she says. 

Still, to be entirely truthful, her mother is her biggest role model. She had always wondered why her mom sacrificed her happiness to raise the kids. In the past few years, she grew to understand that it takes a lot of courage to lead a life like this. She states, “I admire her for that.” The actress smiles and says she doubts if she has it in her to do what her strong mom did. Given a chance later, she would like to be like her role model, a source of strength. 

Preparing for the acting journey

At first, Ananya Nagalla had not prepared for her entry into the film industry. She was not formally trained. “I might be good at nothing,” she chuckles, adding that she hasn’t attended any classes. However, once she took her steps into this journey, she began taking many classes. These include acting, dancing, classical, gym, swimming and so on. She is making sure it is happening now. 

According to her, training aside, the most important quality that will take a person ahead is patience. “It will take years to crack that one film or one moment or one Friday. So, you have to wait years for that one moment,” she says knowingly. She feels patience is enough in the Industry. 

Hobbies then and now

As a child, Ananya Nagalla used to read a lot of books. Even now, she purchases her favorites but finds no time to catch up on her reading. “But, that’s one habit for sure I want to continue forever,” she asserts. Apart from that, she recently found her love for fitness. Gym, Yoga or any other exercise for that matter, hold a great place in her heart. 

Yoga gives her a sense of peace and calm. She loves the process and prefers it over others. She even feels she can become a yoga teacher. 

A tough girl in a tough industry

Ananya Nagalla candidly says that the industry is a tough place to survive. But, she agrees cheerfully that that’s the exciting part. “It’s maybe the most exciting journey,” she says. She has seen a lot of rejections and everyday struggles. Struggle is a constant. The everyday decision making process is hard in itself, she continues. She gives the example of getting a call for being a part of a film and being asked if she wants to do it or not. This involves a lot of consideration and a long thought process to arrive at a decision. Sometimes, the films she wants to be a part of may not include her. The actress points out that rejections come each day. “It’s a tough place, but you should enjoy it. Otherwise you can’t make it.”

Those initial steps

Once she made her decision to become an actress, she joined an acting institute and began learning the craft. She felt it was for the best. It was here that ‘Mallesham’ makers noticed her. They were on the lookout for a girl through many auditions as they were new to the industry too. On her acting teacher’s advice, she gave her audition without any knowledge about the slang or body language as a 90’s person. She never imagined it would be her first film.

A few days after the audition, while practicing the same scenes, it hit her that it was such a good subject. She told herself, “why are you taking this lightly, you have to give it your 100%” With that, she taught herself the slang as well as draping a saree. She once again gave the audition remembering that maybe her lack of saree draping skills lent her a simple charm. The film is surely unforgettable, especially because it gave her confidence as her first and that it was such a good role. Being offered that role gave her assurance that she could continue in this field. 

Also, the first premiers, the first encounters with celebrities and a lot of firsts made her enjoy the process thoroughly. Ananya has done 7-8 films so far. But, Mallesham would remain her most favourite film. Her character in the film was portrayed as very strong, mentally. “Padma would be my favourite character anyday,” she quips. She likes her film ‘Playback’ too, although Mallesham takes top honours. 

Success mantra

The hard working actress says there is no set path to succeed in life. Be it in life or the film industry, a single path would mean everyone can and would follow it. But, there is no such thing. “We just have to work it out. It’s a trial and error process. In the process we just have to believe in ourselves and don’t ever lose hope. Patience is the key,” she philosophises. She feels we need these three qualities and also be happy in the journey itself. 

For her, there was no plan to get to this position. Again, everyone would have the same plan, she ponders. “A strong desire plays a part. Apart from that nothing is in our hands. We have to work towards what is best for you or what you want to do or what’s your dream,” She elaborates that we need to work towards our goals and not think about whether it will happen accordingly or not. “In case it doesn’t happen, there is something best waiting for you.” Ananya is happy wherever she is right now, be it right or not, both in career and personal space.  

On the pedestal

Ananya made her debut in 2019. After that Covid struck. The next two years saw little activity.

Her career is all of 2 years old as of now. She might not have seen as many ups and downs as others. Despite that, the film ‘Vakeel Saab’ was her point of recognition. It made her known across the industry and the audiences included. It is her biggest step up. 

Current Projects

Ananya Nagalla has been busy shooting for a few films recently. She would share the details after the proper announcements have been made. 

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