The actress who started her career with a love note — Inthi Ninna Preethiya which means ‘yours with love,’ a decade ago, had almost logged out from her career. But her determination to face challenges and prove herself as an actor, has given her a new lease of acting life.
Post her recent success with Gultoo which is an anagram of logging out in today’s tech-savvy world, Sonu Gowda, the daughter of national award-winning make-up artist Ramakrishna speaks to Bengaluru Chronicle about her decade-long journey even as she reveals some interesting facts which led her to take up acting. After her debut, she has acted in almost 20 movies, some of which never got released, and some Sonu reveals she has since regretted taking up in her early days as an actress.
“None of us including the makers of Gultoo expected the film will receive such acclaim and commercial success. When I watched it for the first time, I enjoyed it, and was left wondering if we actually ever shot it! In fact, I was approached for the film while shooting for Kiragoorina Gayyaligalu when the team had no producer, and wanted me to be a part of their pitch trailer,” says Sonu.
On how she became an actress, she shares, “After school, I joined Carmel College. It is known for strict rules and regulations. None of us could wear earrings, or even nail polish. My aim was to enjoy college to the fullest, and when I was told that I could get a relaxation in attendance if I became a part of the college theatre group, I jumped into it. What actually started as an excuse for attendance, began my journey into films! However, I now regret it, as education is most important in life, and one should not take it lightly.”
As the daughter of such a renowned artist who worked closely with the film industry, Sonu says that her parents kept her away from film activities, and parties. All she knew were a couple of actors who were close to her family.
“While attendance was the reason to start acting, my career in the initial days was more or less about working for those who were facing difficulties in the industry. As I was yet to gain proficiency in acting, filmmakers who knew my father would request him to make me a part of their projects. This kept happening until I realised that as an actor, I must give importance to other aspects to showcase my real talent, and it was not just about helping others. It was time to help myself and prove my worth as an actor,” Sonu says.
The actress who has taken many breaks in between, has acted in a score of fims, even in Tamil, though shelved and some never released. “After a couple of films including one in Malayalam starring alongside Mammootty Sir, I took a break. When I started again, I made it a point to look into various aspects like the producers and directors, and good scripts. I started looking for sensible projects. I was determined to find what I had lost in between,” says Sonu.
An important piece of advice her school teacher Lakshmi, who is no more, gave, “Do your best and leave the rest to unfold,” has helped rejuvenate and guide her through tough times. “She was the one who felt that I had an affinity towards teaching. My special note to her on Teacher’s Day (in school) was appreciated so much that I became fond of writing.”
Her younger sister, Neha Gowda, is a well-known television artiste, known as the popular Gombe in Lakshmi Barammma. “Early on, many people would identify me as Gombe’s sister, and the daughter of Ramakrishna. While that is still a proud moment, I had to change it. I was determined to be known for my talent, and fortunately things have started falling into place,” Sonu explains.
She has had several offers in television, but her gut feeling made her stay away from the small screen, aspiring to make it big on the silver screen. Apart from Onthara Banna, she has Fortuner and Chambal in her kitty. In Chambal, Sonu stars opposite Satish Ninasam.
