Six years after her turn in Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo (2020), Tabu returns to South cinema with filmmaker Puri Jagannadh’s upcoming action thriller, Slumdog – 33 Temple Road. The pan-India feature, which also stars Vijay Sethupathi and Samyuktha in primary roles, is currently in post-production and will release later this year.

Smitten by the calibre and “confidence” of her co-stars, Samyuktha, who has been observing them on set, shares, “They walk and perform with an ease, and have an effortless way of handling things.”

For Tabu, the project is akin to coming home, as the Bollywood star hails from Hyderabad. Samyuktha shares her excitement about hearing Tabu converse with the cast and crew in Telugu. The actor says her co-star made her feel included, despite it being their first collaboration.

“She is a Hyderabad girl! Being the least experienced person there, I would listen to Zarina [Wahab] ma’am and Tabu ma’am talk in Telugu. I heard so many stories from them. I felt very included. There wasn’t any vibe of ‘You need to be away from us because we’re talking.’ I always felt a sense of inclusivity, which I loved.”