India, Aug. 21 -- Sri Gouri Priya is one of those rare female actors in Tollywood to hail from the Telugu states and speak the language. She might have played a girl from Tamil Nadu in her recent release, Chennai Love Story, but Gouri is a Secunderabadi through and through. "It feels like a full circle moment, you know," she tells Hindustan Times in an interview. "I grew up watching Telugu films, so to be in this industry is a dream come true."

"I was born and brought up in Secunderabad," says Gouri, adding, "I used to watch a lot of films in theatres because I am a film buff. So, I grew up watching Telugu films, listening to the music. And then, someday, all the stars and the universe kind of aligned for me, I guess. Somehow, magically,...