She has spent three years in the industry so far. This pretty girl from Hassan is an engineering graduate, model, actor and even a national level swimmer. Milana Nagaraj, who made a decent debut with Preetham Gubbi’s Nam Duniya Nam Style, later took up a challenging venture in Brindavana starring Challenging Star Darshan. While she impressed with her previous film Charlie she is set to Fly with Jaani — both the Kannada films are scheduled for release this season along with a Malayalam film too. The actress talks about her films, and much more.
“After Charlie, I took a break from films. And now, my three films are ready for release. As far as Jaani is concerned, I signed it because I was impressed with the character. It is not something which is random and definitely not limited to the glamour quotient.
The character is a vital part of the film. Moreover, it marks the directorial debut of one of the finest cinematographer in Sandalwood — PKH Doss. It has the talented Vijay Raghavendra playing the lead. It was a challenging one for me to portray,” says Milana Nagaraj.
Her other film, Fly directed by Bharath G (which introduced veteran Dingri Nagaraj’s son Rajavardan in the lead) is also set for release, along with a Malayalam film.
“Education was always a primary focus in my family but once I completed my engineering in computer science, I developed an interest in modeling after one of my cousins asked me participate in Ms. Karnataka. Acting was never planned, and I had no idea about films too. However, I started off with Preetham Gubbi’s venture and was then featured in a commercial successful film alongside Darshan sir. Meanwhile, I got a lot of offers but I took some time to learn the act more seriously. This is why my role in Charlie (when compared to my previous ones) was far more satisfactory to me,” she says.
About her interest in sports, especially swimming, in which she competed till the national level, Milana confesses that her parents were worried about her eating habits as a child. “One of my relatives adviced my parents to put me into some sporting activity as it will improve my appetite. As there was a swimming pool near my house, I was made to swim and I slowly went on to get trained professionally. Even now, swimming is my best fitness mantra apart from yoga,” she says.
Milana admits that she was never interested in taking up a routine job after her engineering. Despite initial apprehension from her parents for choosing a different path, the actress says that her parents have been very supportive of her dreams. In Fly, which is about adventure, Milana will be seen in some real action on the big screen.
