It has been more than seven years since she got into movies with literally no experience in the art of acting. Star actress Pranitha Subhash narrates how one fine morning, she just landed all dressed up on the sets of Porki, her debut Kannada film, and that is how her tryst with the cinema began. What followed was a ‘pretty’ wonderful journey into stardom. Despite staying on the top, she has taken a sensible path — to go slow while enjoying every bit of work, irrespective of its outcome. Pranitha speaks to Bengaluru Chronicle, about her passion, her journey and how things are changing for the good in the industry.
While she was last seen in the Kannada film Mass Leader, she has been busy doing various other things. “I have been up to a lot of other activities — from advertisements to shoots. Ever since my first film, I have been very conscious about the work I do. Instead of jumping onto every offer, I have made sure I do only a handful, ones I really enjoy. A couple of years ago, there was a phase when I had signed four to films simultaneously, and I was not to happy with a couple of them in the first place,” Pranitha Subhash explains.
She made her debut in MD Sridhar’s directorial Porki. Recalling her first day as an actress she shares, “I still remember day one, when I had just reached the sets of Porki, all dressed up. I knew nothing about facing the camera. For the first few days, I shot with the support cast to make myself accustomed to what was happening around me, then I finally shot with Darshan Sir. It was great that an acclaimed actor like Darshan Sir and the director taught me the basics of acting. That learning continued with me into other language movies. All my co-stars, directors, colleagues and crew members have always been such a great support in my career,” she adds.
The actress has a few big projects lined up, and she wants to wait for the concerned banners to announce them before she speaks further.
Sharing her view on ‘sexism and the end of patriarchy’ in the film industry, Pranitha makes it very clear that that she has never experienced any kind of harassment at the workplace. However, she feels that there are ‘certain kind of films’ which are made because of what the audience wants to watch, the more hero-centric films.
“It is always the audience who determines the kind of movies made. Every film industry, be it Hollywood or any other ‘wood’ runs on this formula — demand and supply. As an actress, I love all kinds of movies, and I love commercial movies too. I also feel that sometimes glamorous looking actors are labelled as glamour quotients in the industry. To date, I have done only one film Bheema Teeradalli (a de-glam role) where I wore a saree with no make-up as a female character who later escaped through a thick forest as a pregnant woman. I was nominated for several awards for that role, but frankly, as an actress I did nothing special when compared to my previous films. I guess, at times, various others factors play a part. For instance, Vidya Balan has always been a great performer giving her best, including in Kahani but sometimes audiences appreciate certain roles better. Indeed, it is a good phase in the industry with a lot of female-centric films being made in all genres.” The industry is also expanding with a larger audience that has resulted in many ‘content driven’ movies being appreciated.
“I am open to all sorts of experiences, and may be in 10 years, I would love to produce such films. Production is again, a different ball game. Firstly, I would work on perfecting my craft before venturing into it, and more importantly, finding a dedicated and talented crew would help tell different stories,” she signs off.
