This Rajasthani beauty has 10 films to her credit, across several languages — Kannada, Hindi, Tamil, and Malayalam. She is finally creating waves with her critically-acclaimed film Dhwani which was the official screening choice at the recently concluded Bengaluru International Film Festival.
Iti Acharya shares snippets about her astounding performance in the film which primarily deals with dowry harassment and domestic violence, which are incidentally on the rise.
“Initially, I was apprehensive about taking up the film, but when I heard the script, I just could not digest the fact that situations like this even existed. It is based on a real life incident, and how it affects the lives of the many others connected to it. After Chandan, the hero and Krishnegowda Sir convinced me, I agreed to the role, and the experience has been simply phenomenal. The kind of response the film has received has overwhelmed me,” says Iti Acharya, who started as a model after pursuing her studies at the Fashion Institute of Technology, and was later recognised by fashion guru Prasad Bidapa, and went on to work in several ads.
A professional Kathak dancer, Iti’s parents ensured that she learnt most art forms as a child. “My parents always supported my artistic side. They had me learn almost everything. At the age five, I was into theatre, and I learnt Kathak. During my fashion venture, a film director was keen on getting me on board his film, and my love for acting since childhood led me to films,” she says.
Her dream role in Dhwani, essaying the role of Jaya, a model-turned-actress is pretty similar to who she is in real life as well, someone who believes in independent and self-reliant women, omitting the part of her character that hurts others, especially loved ones for personal gain, of course.
“I have seen people coming out of theatres crying, and even men in tears. In our society, two people co-existing under one roof as husband and wife is a daunting task. Frequent ego clashes and difference of opinion ensue. I believe Dhwani has been the voice of many who have faced similar situations in their life,” Iti adds.
She further attributes the film’s critical success to the sensibilities of the Kannada audience who have lately been supporting experimental scripts and meaningful films with a purpose.
“New and young film makers have made a mark with different films and not sticking to hero-centric projects only, but focusing more on script-centric ones. Dhwani is a perfect example and it makes me proud. As an actress, I had worked in some good films, and some failed, but Dhwani has given me the ultimate satisfaction,” Iti shares.
After Dhwani, Iti has another similar venture in Hindi titled Satyavati which delves into another serious subject, that of gang rape, and another film in Tamil too.
She concludes that Dhwani is not just a movie but can hopefully inspire others to be strong too.
