Sobhita Dhulipala Interview: On ‘Cheekatilo’ And Enjoying Working in Telugu Cinema Again

Sobhita Dhulipala loves being able to play women who don't fit in the conventional black and white. Whether it’s the hardy matchmaker Tara in Made In Heaven or the beguiling Kaveri in The Night Manager (the Hindi version of the English language series of the same name). For her next, Dhulipala is back to playing a woman with agency, but in her native language this time.

The actor leads Cheekatilo, a Telugu film which sees her play Sandhya, a true crime podcaster who tails a dreadful serial killer in Hyderabad. The upcoming film, produced by Suresh Babu Daggubati and directed by Sharan Koppisetty, will be available for streaming on Prime Video from January 23.

Playing Sandhya in Cheekatilo and speaking her story in Telugu has been the most enjoyable, says Dhulipala in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India. She has appeared in two Telugu titles before this: Goodachari in 2018 and Major in 2022, but it was only when she began Cheekatilo that she realised the ease of delivering lines in Telugu.

“This is a fairly verbose character, especially with how this podcast is done in the film. There's an interesting construction of the stanzas and so on. And I remember thinking, 'Damn, I wouldn't have felt as effortless or smooth if this had been in another language',” she says.

“I'm very comfortable in other languages when I perform and there's never been a barrier. But this made it enjoyable. It felt seamless, and I somehow felt like I was able to give more subconsciously… maybe through mannerisms or small things that I could draw from conversations with my family that I was able to apply. Because this is so close to the native culture I'm from.”

Dhulipala felt herself drawn to the script when she understood her character. “When I first read the script with the outer shell of treatment about her being a podcaster, a newish medium on the rise, it seemed fresh. But at its core, she is a natural leader who is stubborn about standing by the things she believes in, no matter how inconvenient the situations may be. Her ability to sit comfortably with uncertainty can be an interesting space. We conventionally have a strong woman archetype or a gentle, soft woman.” But she didn’t fit into one particular label. 

Sobhita Dhulipala in 'Cheekatilo'

That also doesn’t mean Sandhya is fearless, she asserts. “She comes from a regular household in suburban Hyderabad. She has had a couple of uncomfortable experiences as a kid, but she refuses to be defined by them. She is not fearless, but she doesn't let her fear drive those decisions. There's a mental discipline and control with which she moves. These are attributes I like about a woman; this woman in this world is very much so. I like characters with agency who have consequences, so it was a natural yes.”

Dhulipala is excited about a character, regardless of whether she’s liked or not — an edge that the streaming space provides to various female actors. “Am I traditional? Am I conservative or am I progressive? Nobody has the answer. Women are figuring a lot of things out with one foot in tradition and one in ambition. Characters that reflect this essence are beautiful, and I have had the privilege of playing these parts in certain projects...these women with agency. Whether they are liked or not liked, are not of so much importance. In fact, it is totally irrelevant to me. Probably what I liked about this character, Sandhya, is that she is quite badass to me in her own way.”