The popular Telugu serial Muddha Mandaram has been running successfully for over four years now. When one of its lead casts, Thanuja Gowda, who earlier played the role of Parvathi and now plays the role of her reincarnation, Soundarya, moved to Hyderabad from Karnataka, she knew nothing about the Telugu industry. The actor says she found a family away from home in the team and cast members of the family show.

Thanuja Gowda plays the role of Soundarya in the popular Telugu serial. She earlier enacted the role of Parvathi in the same Telugu TV show. People may not know Thanuja, but they surely knew Parvathi, and they now know Soundarya. The petite actor believes that she has found herself, her true calling and her identity after becoming a part of Muddha Mandaram.

Initially, Thanuja did not have clarity on things she was doing or wanted to do. She had only one obstacle that made her double-guess her options and decisions. The actor says she often found herself lost because of her lack of knowledge in Telugu. But with motivation from the team, she learnt the language in just seven months.

With success also comes hatred. Thanuja, who has a huge following on social media, admits to being trolled as well. The first thing she does while travelling to the set every day is reading the comments and messages that she receives. With time, Thanuja has learnt to take both appreciation and criticism with a sporty attitude.

Parvathi was a part of a big happy family in Muddha Mandaram. Similarly, Thanuja belongs to a joint family. She lives with her parents, grandmother, uncle, aunt and her siblings – Anuja and Pooja. She is most excited about the youngest member of her family — her toddler cousin.

Although she comes from a joint family, Thanuja likes to travel solo. This girl enjoys her own company. Taking time off from shoots is a far-fetched idea, but whenever Thanuja does get a few days off, she likes to explore other countries. So far the actor has checked Dubai, Singapore and Sri Lanka off her list.

Thanuja Gowda’s character Parvathi was madly in love with Deva (also known as Pedda Babu) who was caring and protective. They both passed away in an accident. Now, Soundarya and Abhi are reincarnations of Parvathi and Deva. The man of Thanuja’s dreams is someone similar to her on-screen love interest. She wants to be with a man who can empathise with everyone and motivate people during their tough times. She adds that he also needs to be protective and manly!

Watch Thanuja Gowda play the role of Soundarya in all episodes of Muddha Mandaram. For more entertainment, check out all the drama in Kalyana Vaibhogam, on ZEE5.