RADHA MISS to Raman's rescue

With no intention of exploring the acting profession or even facing a camera, she was just a happy-go-lucky girl. This architect by profession is someone who loves balancing life with work, travel and helping society in her own way. Shwetha Prasad who portrays the popular teacher ‘Radha Miss, who has a love-filled marriage contract with the handsome hunk Raman from the serial Radha Ramana on Kannada television, speaks with Bengaluru Chronicle about her telly saga, her accidental acting journey and plans to assist her “real” better-half RJ and film director Pradeepa, who is busy with the production of a web-series by his production house Sakkath Studio, these days.

“Prior to my TV debut, I never had any thoughts of taking up acting as a profession, simply because I have stage fright and the fear is still very much there. If I have to do something else apart from portraying my character, the fear comes shooting back. It was an accidental call from the noted TV serial maker Shruthi Naidu Madam who happened to see my photographs on social media. I was unsure about essaying such a role, but when such a big personality from Kannada TV calls, I decided to meet her in person and convince her that I cannot act,” smiles Shwetha Prasad.

What happened after the audition was another surprise, Shwetha explains, “After auditioning, I was doubly sure that I would not be a part of the act. But surprisingly, I suited the character and they expressed utmost faith in me. Later, Ramesh Indira Sir literally trained me on how to act and be natural on camera. The character I portrayed in Srirastu Shubhamastu was another reason I could pull it off. It was not a dramatic one, and I had not one but six lovely mother-in-laws in the family drama.”

Her latest avatar “Radha Miss” in Radha Ramana which she feels is a different genre and is more about the love angle between a husband and wife, who are bound by contract. “The huge popularity of Radha’s character is due to her simplicity. Most of us have experienced love at first sight and even for those who have not — for instance Radha and Ramana, the feeling starts to blossom eventually, from hate to love. This is the ‘connect’ which makes the audience fall in love with both the characters, the actress shares. After her first TV venture, she had no plans of essaying a lead character in another serial as that would mean working for a year or more at a stretch. “I thought of taking up a few short projects but since I was ensured that it would be a hit and garner acclaim, the idea of working for a channel in number one position finally got me interested,” she says.

If not an actress, Shwetha would have continued with her successful profession as an architect. “Though I would have continued to be an architect, I still would have led life my way, working short periods and taking off to travel and serve in NGOs to satisfy my soul,” says Radha Miss, who will go back to teaching Ramana love lessons, and even the Kannada language. She also plans to assist her husband, who is a RJ and film director with his production house Sakkath Studio, and produce a web-series after the first one he did Loose Connection became very popular.