Standing by each other

Sister Act

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hey are young, fashionable and charming, and together they are sure to set the screen on fire. Pooja and Radhika Gandhi, will soon start shooting for their first movie together, Harikathe, which also stars Murali.

A week before the muhurat of the film, Metrolife met up with the Gandhi sisters, who are anxious, nervous and excited about the thought of acting together. “I’ve always had a vision that we would work together someday but I never thought it would happen this soon,” says Pooja.

They don’t play reel life sisters in this film. Director Dayal has offered them a complete contrasting characters. “I really loved the script as we both are enacting something totally different. Radhika is playing this very simple, homely-girl next-door kind of role while I will be enacting a glamourous girl’s role,” says Pooja. Radhika coyly whispers, “She’s doing a negative role.” Shushing her, Pooja, adds, “It’s not really ‘negative’ but yes the character is mean in nature and is always trying to spoil things for Radhika in the film.”

However, in real life, the sisters claim that there is no ‘mean’ feelings towards each other and that there is absolutely no competition between them. “How can there be any competition? Everything I know about the industry is because of Pooja. She guides me a lot and I really look up to her,” says Radhika. On a personal and a professional level the sisters are very inter-dependent and they never take a step without consulting the family. “Our family is our sole support and we make sure we discuss everything,” adds Pooja.

Both sisters are best of friends, sharing everything from gossip, fashion advice to acting tips. Take them apart and you can notice the differences in their personalities. While Pooja is possessive and talkative one, Radhika is shy and easy going. While Pooja has already made her mark in the industry, Radhika was never too sure about what she wanted to do.

“More than an incident it was an accident that got me into films,” says Radhika. It happened so that when the director of Chikmagalura Chikka Mallige had come over to Pooja’s house to discuss another story, he saw Radhika and felt that she was right for the part.

“He asked me whether Radhika would be interested in acting and we thought why not?” explains Pooja. Eventually when Radhika entered movies, Pooja’s entire family moved down and decided to settle in the City. “When Pooja first moved here it was like the family had separated as I was with dad and she was here with mom. But now we are finally living together again,” says Radhika, while recalling the struggles her sister went through.

“I feel lucky in a way because I remember watching Pooja work really hard. I’m more cautious about not repeating her mistakes,” says Radhika. For Pooja, the presence of Radhika means having a best friend in the industry. “I love the fact that she is here in the industry, for we will always have each other to hang on to,” says Pooja while adding, “I don’t want her to be known as Pooja Gandhi’s sister. I know she has the potential to make her own mark and till then I will be by her side supporting her through out the way.”