Priyanka & her fine balancing act

down south

She continues to work in movies after her marriage — managing her home and children with an inspiring aplomb. Catching up with Priyanka Upendra, I find out that she wears her fame lightly on her able shoulders, and has a world beyond films that she cherishes living in.

Having started with modelling, she moved to acting soon. She won the Miss Kolkata title in 1996 (when she was 15 years old). Her projects have been films in different languages — Raa, Soori, Kotigobba, H2O, Rowdy Aliya, Priyanka, Malla (Kannada); Chupi Chupi, Tak Jhal Mishti, Sangee, Hello Memsaheb (Bengali) and Raajjiyam, Kadhal Sadugudu and Jananam (Tamil), among others.

So how does she look back at her journey? “It’s been a long journey, but to be honest, it’s not like I have a huge body of work. But I’m happy with the films I have done. My films have been with good technicians and actors. Through the journey, I have grown both as a person and as an actor.”

When I ask her about the challenges of working in South Indian movies due to language limitations, she says, “I initially found it very hard. To get into the skin of the character, I had to put much effort to learn the language.” After working in Tamil and Bengali films, she remembers that her first stint in Sandalwood came when she signed Kotigobba, opposite Vishnuvardhan. “I’m happy I had a chance to work with Vishnu sir.” During the filming, she met her husband, Upendra, with whom she has shared screen-space in Raa and H2O.

Priyanka says that getting married was the best decision she took while her career flourished. “We had been seeing each other for three years already. I was in Mumbai and he was in Bengaluru; and I wanted to be with him,” she says.

With time, the way she approaches scripts has changed. “The roles I get now are different as I am a mother (she has two children), and I consciously choose the work that excites and challenges me. I’d rather be a part of story-centric scripts.”
Priyanka’s participation in reality shows has allowed her to express herself more boldly, she says. “I’m much more comfortable in my skin now. But, to be honest, I’m not crazy about films. I also love cooking, taking care of my kids, looking after plants, spending time with my pets.”

She has donned the producer’s hat for Uppi 2. “I was involved with Uppi since he started working on the story, and looked after its day-to-day expenses. I worked with the lighting department, the food department. I understood how hard their job is; actors are usually very pampered,” she says.

Priyanka is geared up for the release of her latest project, Mummy — a horror film. “My character is of a mother who is seven months pregnant. When the director came to me, he was just 21. I was skeptical, but he turned out to be so creative! I’m glad I took up this role. The sets for the movie were constructed at the expense of 90 lakhs; and the sounds are quite different. I look forward to the release!” she beams.