Samyukta on her special bond with her late pet Gunda

In 2014, Samyukta Hornad won the Award for Best Supporting Actress – Kannada for the film Oggarane. While taking the award, the actress made a moving speech and dedicated her award to her

pet Gunda

. BT gets chatty with the actress who talks about how her love for animals comes from the relationship and more...

"The truth is my love for dogs, and love for life comes from that space and that relationship with my first pet Gunda whom I rescued and adopted when he was 3-days-old," says Samyukta. Remembering how it all began Samyukta says, "He was with me for 13 years and I still remember how I found him. I still remember, I was in 6th standard and I could hear two puppies whimpering outside my house in a drain. So I just had to get them inside. The vets had already given up hope and said both the pups will die. But, my Gunda was a fighter and he survived."

After a good thirteen years, Samyukta does feel that her relationship with Gunda made her an animal lover and a dog rescuer that she is today. "I didn't think I'll be like this and I was only obsessed about my boy Gunda, but over the years I realised what this relationship has done to me and how it just spread to everything around me. That chemistry changed my relationship with animals and also myself," she says.

And, that's how her passion for animals started and there's no stopping her.