Entertainment: Former Miss India Manasa Varanasi is slowly making her mark in cinema. In a recent conversation with Ram for Gulte Pro, she opened up about transitioning from a structured corporate life to the unpredictable world of films and how Couple Friendly changed her perspective. Manasa spent a large part of her childhood in Malaysia and later completed engineering, then worked in a software company for two years. Even then, she felt she was meant for something more creative. However, films were never her serious passion initially; they were simply a way to relax. Working on Couple Friendly completely changed that perception. She says this film made her truly fall in love with filmmaking. Coming from a Miss India background, she was always accustomed to looking perfect. But for this film, she had to shed that polished image. The director wanted her to look natural, without heavy makeup, and play a regular working woman with real flaws. She admits that breaking the habit of always looking perfect was difficult but necessary. According to her, characters with flaws are more real and relatable. Interestingly, she has died four times on screen so far. Instead of seeing this as strange, she sees it as symbolic. For her, each onscreen death feels like a new birth, a chance to return stronger with a new character. She also revealed that Elizabeth Gilbert’s book, “Big Magic,” played a key role in her transition from corporate life to acting. The idea of not letting fear control her decisions gave her the courage to take risks and pursue a creative path. Manasa hinted at an upcoming Tamil project currently in the workshop stage, describing her role as bold and very different from her previous performances. More than anything, she wants to be recognized for her acting abilities rather than her Miss India title. She believes that “Couple Friendly” has helped her take a good step in that direction.
Manasa Varanasi found her passion in films
