Her brilliant performance in 'Moggina Manassu' catapulted actress Shubha Punja into the spotlight with a series of films in Sandalwood.
This brought fame and acclaim to the talented actress. However along with it, she had to fight a different kind of battle -one where her name was constantly being dragged into the personal life of a successful actor. The actress who has managed to over come all odds, is busy with many upcoming projects that are in the final stages of production, and set to hit the big screen soon.
In 'Meenakshi', a women-centric film, acting alongside model-turned-actor Raghu Mukherjee, Shubha Punja has even done some breathtaking stunt scenes herself.
“I have done fighting sequences in 'Meenakshi' choreographed by stunt master Danny. The stunt master planned it in a very different manner. I am in a fight scene with another female artist in a prison set-up. It was risky, especially when I did the scene without any duplicate artist. It seems to have come of well and I hope the audience will like my new avatar in Meenakshi," says Shubha.
While referring to her performance in 'Moggina Manassu' acting alongside Radhika Pandit, in another women-centric film, Shubha says “'Moggina Manassu' was the turning point of my career. I have done several films after that, but till date, when I am working with senior artists and film makers, they refer to my work in 'Moggina Manassu'. It is one of the reasons I accepted 'Meenakshi', which has lot of scope in terms of performance on par with the male lead. I am confident that 'Meenakshi' will do what 'Moggina Manassu' has done for my career."
The actress who has seen many ups and downs in her short acting career, mostly in Sandalwood, had to face difficult times when unnecessary questions were asked over her alleged relationship with one of her oft repeated co-stars in the Kannada film industry.
Reacting to the controversies and the tough times she has faced, Shubha says, “Professionally, it was never a hurdle in my career, as the people from the industry knew the truth. Yes, it hurts when the audience tends to perceive something wrongly. I am a very private person and I do not go around clarifying each and everything. I don't even feel the need for it. Eventually, I have learnt to live by my values. I am sure that at the end of the day, the audience will remember me for my work."
When asked about her future prospects in the film industry with many successful stars taking up production, film making along with acting, Shubha feels that she would not take up production but can see herself getting involved in small screen productions and its various departments as she feels that there is more potential and avenues to engage in that.
Apart from 'Meenakshi', which is all set to hit the screens, she is currently shooting for 'Samosa', 'Chirayu, Artha', 'Tarle Nan Maklu' wherein she is acting alongside Nagshekar, who directed 'Sanju weds Geetha' which earned a state film award for Ramya in the best actress category.
Senior artist Jaggesh's youngest son Yathiraj is also featuring in one of the lead roles in 'Tarle Nan Maklu'.
