Overwhelmed by the honour

Star talk

She is fondly called the action queen of the Kannada film industry, thanks to her effortless execution of daring stunts on the screen.

     Looking for a break from the monotonous fisticuffs, Malashree recently played an autorickshaw driver in ‘Ganga’.

     The actor was flooded by her fans’ admiration but the icing on the cake came later: her first ever ‘Best Actor (Female)’ State award.

Malashree says the Karnataka State Film Award surprised her.
“It’s after 2 decades of working in the Kannada film industry that I have won the State Award. A lot of people asked me why it took so long. The delay didn’t matter, I am overwhelmed by the love and response.”

She wishes to dedicate the award to her filmmaker husband Ramu and the entire cast and crew of ‘Ganga.’ “I am also excited because ‘Ganga’ was made under our banner,” she adds.

About her role in ‘Ganga’, she says she saw a lot of challenges in the film.
“The first thing that struck me about the character is that it was that of an auto driver. The story traced the life of a woman autorickshaw driver who worked hard to make ends meet. The role also proved that women are no less competent in excelling at the toughest of jobs.”

She was also delighted that the project offered her something different from the usual action sequences. “I’ve always wanted to try out something different and that’s exactly what I got to do in ‘Ganga.’ The film also got appreciated for its strong content and every character involved was portrayed in a unique way,” says Malashree.

She recollects that one of the best compliments that she got for her role was from her daughter Ananya. “My daughter was thrilled after she watched the film. She says she understood the hardships involved in raising children, feeding them and giving them a good life. She had also said that I managed to capture and portray the life of  an autorickshaw driver very well,” recollects Malashree.

About the other awardees, Malashree feels the awards are proof that new talent has been recognised. “Kannada film industry has seen a surge of new talent and many offbeat subjects. The list of the other awardees are proof that fresh talent has been recognised. It’s a positive message to young actors.”

She also feels the Kannada film industry is going through a transition of sorts and the audience have welcomed the change. “There are different genres of films to cater to different tastes. There are audiences for both off beat cinema and the commercial variety as well,” she says.

Malashree has her hands full with projects this year, including her own production.