JOIN US'I made a connect with the South'
She made her entry into films with Olave Mandara, a movie that turned out to be a surprise hit.
Soon, actress Aakanksha was flooded with offers. But what she really liked about all these roles was the fact that they were performance-oriented.
Interestingly, when she first went to audition for the film, she only saw it as an opening to films.
However, now she wants to prove her mettle in the Kannada film industry.
The actress tells Metrolife that she never thought she would find a place in the hearts of the audience in Karnataka so soon.
“I am deeply humbled by the appreciation I have got from within the industry and the audience. I knew I wanted to be an actress for a very long time but I was only waiting for the right break. At first, when I signed Olave Mandara, I never thought it would do so well but I really liked the strong script and the technicians that were behind the film,” says Aakanksha.
Though born and brought up in Dubai, Aakanksha has always felt a strong connect with South India. The reason, she says, is because of all the modelling she did for jewellery brands in Kerala.
“I used to shoot for jewellery brands in Dubai and people started thinking that I am a South Indian. Maybe that’s how I made that connect with the South,” she adds.
Ask her if modelling was a challenge in a place like Dubai and she says, “It was fairly easy for me as at that time, there were very few agencies in Dubai and very few models as well. Opportunities were many as people were opening up to girls taking to modelling. It was almost as if the agencies and I grew together.”
Aakanksha was recently in the news for replacing Bhavana in Sumana Kittur’s
Edhigaarike.
“When Sumana offered me the film, she told me that I was not the first choice. But that didn’t really matter to me as long as I am doing a good film and a strong
character,” she says.
She will also be seen in Ravi Srivatsa’s Dashamukha which also stars Ravichandran. In this film, one will get to see Aakanksha in a completely different role.
“I play a cripple in this film. The movie is supposed to be inspired by ‘12 Angry Men’. But in the original, there is no heroine. So it’s going to be interesting as to what twist my character will take,” she adds.
Being a model, doesn’t she miss being the ‘glamourous’ girl on screen?
“Not at all. I have always been open to all kinds of movies. It’s still too early for me to ‘miss’ anything. As of now, my aim is to allow people to see my potential as an actress and then take things forward,” she sums up.