I struggled to get into Sandalwood: Anu

As a young girl growing up in a village near Virajpet in

Coorg

,

Anu Poovamma

harboured dreams of being a star. She imagined herself as a heroine and often asked her family if they thought she could become one. But with no filmi connection whatsoever, she reconciled herself to the fact that perhaps she would not. Today, with four films ready for release, including

Karvva

, which marks her debut in Sandalwood, Anu is happy with her achievements. Ahead of the release of Karvva, she tells us about her love for sports, how films happened to her by fluke and more. Excerpts...

Early years... I was born and brought up in Coorg, where my family owns an estate. From a young age, I liked the glitz and glamour of showbiz and dreamt of becoming an actress. I was also quite interested in sports and was a national-level basketball player during my college days, representing Mangalore University. In fact, back then, I rarely attended class, as I would spend hours on the basketball court under the harsh sun. Even during weekends I would be out and about with my NCC activities, so I never thought that I stood a chance of making it in films. But after I moved to Bengaluru and got a job with a leading MNC, my friends and colleagues told me that I should try my luck in films. By then I had managed to get into modeling and did several print and television commercials, as well as ramp shows.

Sandalwood calling... Getting into the industry was not easy and I had my fair share of struggle, but I am happy with what I have achieved. When I got to Bengaluru, a few friends helped me get a porfolio done, and I soon got film offers. I had no clue about how the industry functions. I was getting roles, but the dates would clash, or the films would not take off. I was disillusioned and decided to concentrate on other things. I went back to modelling, while also doing a PG in business administration. After I finished my master's degree, I was approached to audition for a role in Lifu Super, which I got, and that paved my entry into Sandalwood. Technically, that is my first

Kannada

film, but my second, Karvva, will mark my debut.
Team Karvva... I am one of the leads in the film, along with Tilak Sekhar,

Rohit

and Anisha Ambrose. The film is a horror thriller, which explores events that happen during the course of one day and night. I play a tomboy in the film. Working on this film was a lot of fun because we had a young cast and crew on board. One incident that brings a smile to my face even now is when director Navneet asked me and Anisha to report on set without makeup. I was not comfortable with appearing before the camera without makeup. Both of us eventually landed on set with makeup, only to find out that the scene required us to run through a dark hall, and it really did not matter what we looked like.