A scary act

Unlike many who aspire to take up acting from an early age to fulfil their dreams of shining in the world of entertainment, it came to her as a surprise! For actress Neetha Ashok, who has so far acted in four teleserials (including a Hindi soap for Doordarshan) it was her father who insisted she take up acting. Neethae was all set to take up a corporate job after completing her masters in business management. After Yahodhe, Naa Ninna Bidalare which was a horror venture and Aashiyan in Hindi, the pretty actress returns to scare the audience in Neelambari, a horror tale on Colors Kannada. The great granddaughter of versatile personality and famous Kannada writer Kota Shivaram Karanth, speaks to Bengaluru Chronicle on her latest scary act, her journey so far on television, and more.

“After my childhood in Kota which is in Udupi district, I mostly travelled to various places as my father is a banker. I stayed for sometime in Delhi, thereafter in Mangaluru and few other cities before I insisted that I shall pursue my degree in Bengaluru. I joined Jain College for my MBA, and I had almost completed my degree and was even placed for a job during the campus interview, but this is when I encountered a surprise twist. I got a call from my father asking to take up a ‘short film’. Honestly, I had no interest,” says Neetha Ashok.

On what made her to change her mind to take up acting, she further explains: “When I finally decided to meet the director, I was told that it was for a teleserial. Later, my father backed off but by then my interest grew and somehow I convinced mu father. I even managed to finished my studies to please my parents. So far, I have acted in four serials including the ongoing Neelambari. I did a Hindi serial for Doordarshan for a brief period too.”

Her previous venture, Naa Ninna Bidalaare was also a horror and so her present one too. Ask her about affinity towards scaring the audience on the small screen, Neetha smiles saying, “I had no plans of doing another horror show but when I couldn’t stay away from work after a two months vacation, I chose the immediate one which was coincidentally a horror too. “

However, this time, it is going to be a more realisitc soap with more emphasis on paranormal acts. It will  be shot in real locations and old palaces being used,” she adds.

“The serial Neelambari is being shot in few real locations located around Kundapur. A few houses which are decades old and some which were once palaces have been used create a realistic touch.. One of the reasons why I chose the serial is that serial keeps the audience guessing on what could be up next. In my previous show, there was a ghostly figure. I played the ghost too but this is more scarier without the ghost,” she says, adding that despite believing in ghosts, she had never encountered strange incidents in the sets or at the graveyards where she has shot for the serial. 

“I guess the ghosts/devil are aware that we are they to just to shoot and cause no harm to them. I guess there is a mutual understanding with them,” Neetha laughs.

While it is a far away location for the rest of the crew, Neetha wraps up by saying that locations are just five to six kilometers away from her native place. “I am the only one who goes home after the shoot. About films, I am currently enjoying my act on television and even my family is not yet open to me taking up films. Sooner or later, I hope I will do films too. But I’m happy and content with all that love and appreciation from fans.”