From script to screen

It looks like City-based actress Shwetha Srivatsav is enjoying her time in the film industry. Often looked at as one of the ‘glamour girls’ who takes up projects which deal with women as a dominant figure, Shwetha has finished working on a woman-centric film which is in its post-production stage. She will be seen in a different ‘avatar’ in the movie, ‘Kiragoorina gayyaligalu’, which is set to release early next year.

The film is taken from a short story by noted writer Poornachandra Tejaswi and is set in the backdrop of a village. Shwetha plays the character of ‘Daanama’, the lead role and describes this as a “big deal for her.

“This is a major task for me as I am a complete city girl. I was not aware about life in a village. It was a very big challenge for me as I had to start from scratch. However, I had read the story and was interested to see how this film would turn into a movie.” The script is kept as pure as the story and the film casts a number of characters who Shwetha loved working with. A popular adaptation, Shwetha said that there were expectations she had to meet during shooting and the audience was curious to know about her acting prowess for this film.

“I was a little nervous,” she recalls. But thought the concept is new to her, Shwetha decided to approach it in her stride because she was impressed by the director, Suman Kittur and her work. She considered it an honour when Suman asked her play ‘Daanama’ and immediately agreed to the role. She adds, “A lot of people doubted my performance for this film as I am not exposed to too many films of this kind. Suman, however, looked for a fresh face. I also heard that many people told Suman I wouldn’t be able to act in the film. Now, I am glad that I didn’t pay heed to those negative reactions when I look back and love the way it has all turned out to be.”

She didn’t undergo any special training for the film as she is one who has always believed in the power of spontaneous performances but she did research about rural India and the pastoral life there before her shoots so that she could grasp techniques like body language and dialogue delivery. Often known as an actress who wishes to bring in a change in the industry for fighting for the equality of male and female actors, Shwetha dismally says that the Kannada film industry has a long way to go in terms of treating women with respect.

She explains, “Women are still looked at as actors who have to act in dark, sad movies and are not taken for many commercial roles. The audience is not supportive to bring about this change. However, I am positive that in a few years, the industry will change and women will be given prominence.”

Shwetha is currently writing her own movie, which is a ‘Rom com’ and revolves around family drama. She says, “I want a lot of colour, drama, songs and foreign locations in my movie.” The actress is also dreaming big now. She wants to act in a Bollywood banner and hopes to go international some day.  “Why can’t I dream all the way when I begin to dream?”