Get set to see Akshara Gowda in Panchatantra

Since her entry into films a couple of years ago, namma hudugi Akshara Gowda has been waiting for her break in Sandalwood. At one point, it appeared to finally be on the road, when she bagged a film directed by a Yogaraj Bhat associate, Hariprasad Jayanna. But the project, Premadalli, in which she was paired with Vihaan Gowda, got derailed when the banner backing it got into a financial muddle. To her luck, though, Hariprasad decided to produce his mentor’s new film, Panchatantra, which had one role that he and Yogaraj thought was tailor-made for Akshara. When

Panchatantra

releases on March 29, it will be a dream come true to work in Kannada cinema. As a Kannadiga, I should be doing Kannada films,” says Akshara, adding, “When Premadalli was stalled, Hariprasad sir told me about a role in Yogaraj sir’s film, which they thought only I could do justice to. I got a one-line narration from the director, which I quite liked, but I had questions about the rest of the cast, which they could not answer at that point, as I was the first actor to be approached. Hariprasad sir and Yogaraj sir told me that they did not want to look for another actress to play the character.”
Panchatantra is a film with two heroines, with Sonal Monteiro playing Vihaan’s romantic interest. But that was no deterrent for Akshara. “I am quite selfish and greedy as an actor and my role in Panchatantra satisfies that to a great deal. It would not be wrong to say that I am there throughout the film, as much of the story unfolds at a garage owned by me, and a race that I am also a part of. Also, Yogaraj sir’s female characters are always emotionally driven and that is an added bonanza for me,” she says.
In the film, Akshara plays Artha, who, despite the name, is someone no one fully understands. “Artha has a lot of bottled up emotions, but that does not mean she is a complex creature. It’s just difficult to put a finger on what her thoughts and moods are like. On the other hand, though, she sees through people easily. She is also quite the tomboy, growing up around a lot of male friends and being like them,” explains the actress.
Having worked with Yogaraj and his associate, the greatest learning Akshara has had is how nothing is final in a Bhatru film until it is on the editing table. “You don’t get a bound script and, hence, don’t get your lines in advance. He keeps improvising based on the situation. I would still go and ask him how he wanted me to deliver those lines and all he told me was to keep it simple. He wanted the acting to be subtle and as close to reality as possible. In fact, after some scenes when I would check out how I did on the monitor, the assistant directors would tell me, ‘What madam, you didn’t act only’,” she says.