It’s time to take risks, disprove all those who stereotype me, says Meghana

The actress turns stereotypes on their head to prove to people that one need not stick to the tried and tested trajectoryAfter a successful outing as DCP Deepa Kamath in Shivaji Surathkal 2, actor Meghana Gaonkar has signed yet another ensemble-cast film, The Judgement, starring Diganth Manchale, Dhanya Ramkumar and Ravichandran. The actor speaks to Bangalore Times about her upcoming projects, changing trends in cinema when it comes to the roles women play, therapeutic travel, learning horse riding, juggling work and a PhD, with hopes of donning a director’s hat someday.
Meghana is unabashedly proud of her unique choices. She played a girl next door in her debut, Nam Areal Ond Dina, was a mother in Kalidasa Kannada Meshtru, opposite Jaggesh, and turned IT employee in Shubhamangala. And now, in The Judgement, she plays a political science lecturer.
“Society is slowly changing, and so is the mindset of the audience,” she says.
“Back in the day, women had to go through a certain trajectory to essay certain roles – first came a college girl, then a serious love interest, then a mother of a toddler, hero’s sister, etc. Today, people accept women navigating roles. It is a wonderful time to be a part of cinema,” she says.

‘Sandalwood championed women-centric films’
With filmmakers writing meatier roles for women, she credits the rise of OTT for the changing landscape. “The run-of-the-mill-roles era is almost over, and OTT platforms played a huge role in presenting women differently. While women-centric films is a big hit on OTT, it might take some time for the audience to throng the theatres to celebrate the same. I am confident I will get there,” she says.
In the past, Sandalwood championed many women-centric films. “Director Puttanna Kanagal’s films had strong female characters who are relatable and relevant even today. Malashree’s films were celebrated on par with any hero of that era. The trend is now slowly coming back,” she believes.

‘Glad to be in an era where I can experiment’
In both Kalidasa and Shivaji, Meghana acts with senior actors, Jaggesh and Ramesh Aravind, respectively. The Judgement pairs her opposite Ravichandran. Is she worried about being typecast?
“Initially, I was hesitant. I was, of course, worried about being stereotyped. But, I took it up as an opportunity to change the mindset that once you play a mother, you cannot go back and play a college girl. I can play a mom, a girlfriend, and then a cop, now I am playing a lecturer. In Choomantar, I am a foreign-returned girl in her late 20s. I am glad to be in an era where I can experiment, and have audiences that accept this. I want to make bold moves and take risks and prove people who stereotype me wrong,” she says.

‘In multi-starrers, a good co-actor is like an added bonus’
Like Shivaji which had an ensemble cast, The Judgement and Choomantar are multi-starrers too. “Multi-starers push one to perform better. What matters is delivering a commendable performance. It all boils down to the gravitas a role carries,” she says, adding, “Take Shivaji for example, it was a small role which made a huge impact. It is about the role, and a good co-actor is an added bonus.”

‘Soon I will be Dr Meghana Gaonkar’
Neck deep in a PhD she started in 2019, on the adaptation of literature into cinema from Mumbai University, she hopes to complete it in 2023. “It’s a long commitment, and hard to juggle with shoots. The key is to keep reminding myself why I started it,” says the actor, who hopes to don a director’s hat someday.
“Most women characters are written by men from their point of view. I want to tell a story from a woman’s perspective through my directorial,” she says.