Jayashree to act in Zulu movie
Former Rangayana director B Jayashree is all set to show her acting skills in Lucky, a movie being made in Zulu, a South African language, English and Hindi. It is her first acting venture in a non-Kannada movie.
Lucky, being directed by Avie Luthra, is based on a story of an orphan South African boy. Jayashree plays the role of the boy’s Indian neighbour Padmavathi. The screenplay deals with the conflict between black and brown in South Africa. Luthra had directed a short film - Lucky - five years ago. Now, the same is being made into a feature film with modifications in the screenplay. The movie consists only a handful of characters and Jayashree is the only Indian to bag a role in it. The movie will be shot in Johannesburg and Durban for a month.
Luthra is both a director and a screenwriter. He has won many awards and accolades for his movies - Cross My Heart and One Night in Bhopal, a documentary directed for BBC.
Jayashree was surprised when she received a call from Uma Da Cunha, a noted casting director. Filmmaker Meera Nair had introduced Jayashree to Da Cunha long ago. “She sent me the script. The script is well-knit and fresh. The director came to Bangalore and discussed the project with me at length. His crew did my audition for two days,” Jayashree said.
Jayashree, the granddaughter of theatre doyen Gubbi Veeranna, has won accolades for her role as Kurudavva in Nagamandala. She sees the new opportunity as a challenge. “I am a bit apprehensive about this venture, as my performance will reflect on my career in Kannada theatre, the family I hail from and the theatre community I belong to,” she said.
