From the state’s cultural capital Mysuru comes this pretty face. The city known for its vibrant past and rich heritage has nurtured hoards of talent in the past, and now the talented Akhila Prakash who recently started her journey into Sandalwood brings a refreshing new face to the screen. Just four films old, with around three years in the acting profession, Akhila is awaiting the release of a few films in Kannada and Telugu including Olu Muniswamy, for which she just finished shooting. Olu Muniswamy also marks the 50th film of the multi-talented film personality Kashinath, who has nurtured great talent like Real Star Upendra. Akhila made her debut in Sojiga and later featured in 18 to 25 as well. She speaks with Bengaluru Chronicle about her films, and her future prospects.
“My love for films started when I was still in primary school. Fortunately, my parents encouraged my passion for acting. I taught myself the basics of being an artiste, learned both classical and contemporary dance. Later, I started performing on stage. I completed my graduation and could not wait to make my way into films. However, it was a reality show I featured in that gave me recognition. I also featured in the third season of Pyate Hudgir Halli Life. It was a different concept wherein a bunch of city girls have to survive in a typical village undertaking challenging tasks,” says Akhila Prakash.
The actress, who has recently made her foray into Telugu films after two Kannada films, come from a very humble background. Her father is an inspector attached to the Karnataka State Reserve Police, and her mother is a physical education teacher in a school in Mysuru. “My elder sister works as a software engineer in a leading IT company, and my parents, have supported my dream. I learned classical dancing especially Bharatanatyam from my guru Sreedhar Jain and before I took up acting, I joined Tent Cinema, which is a premier acting school run by the noted film director Nagathihalli Chandrashekar Sir. I gained a lot of experience with just a short course in acting. It is where I learnt the technical aspects of facing a camera,” she says
On acting with the noted film personality Kashinath, the actress reveals that there is a huge misconception that the films of Kashintha Sir are often known for its double-entendre dialogues. “After working with Kashinath Sir, wherein he plays an important role, I realised that he is one of the greatest actors. His emotions, both on and off screen speak volumes of his experience. All his films have a great message, and I am glad that I had the opportunity to share the screen with him at such an early stage in my career,” says Akhila, who plays a married village girl in Olu Muniswamy. She has so far been seen in only glamorous avatars.
In the film 18 to 25, about the younger generation, she loved her role. She adds, “I love anything and everything related to films and acting, I have started learning horse riding and also love travelling to unknown destinations.” Akhila now hopes to work in more challenging and big banner films. Before signing off, the budding actress lets us in on a sporty fact, that she played volleyball and even represented the state during her days as a student!
