JOIN US'I concentrate more on the visual aspect'
Actress Priyanka Upendra has a lot on her hands. If she’s not busy on the sets working on her next film, ‘Crazy Star’, being directed by V Ravichandran, she’s home spending time with her two children, Ayush and Aishwarya — and of course, hubby Upendra.
Talking about the film, she says, “I play the lead opposite Ravichandran, as his wife. It’s loosely based on a Malayalam film called ‘Traffic’. But the director plays around with the story and draws inspiration where he can. It’s about how two or three different incidents converge at one point, where everything comes together.”
“It’s been a nice experience — Ravichandran is a very good director and shoots his heroines really well. The aesthetics are great because the cameraman is Seetharam sir. I’ve worked with Ravichandran before in Malla and since then, I’ve not done too much in Kannada films. I’m really looking forward to it because it’s the first time I’m with a hero other than Upi (Upendra),” she adds.
Having worked in a variety of film industries — namely Kannada, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi — she’s no stranger to the characteristics of each one. But when asked which one has proved the most satisfying, she shares, “Every industry has had something different to offer. They are different in terms of the kind of films they make. Personally, I look at the role I’m playing over the language. My mother tongue is Bengali and it is certainly an advantage to know the language, since the conviction is stronger. Films in other languages are harder because a lot of energy goes into learning the tongue. But I concentrate more on the visual aspect, since I know somebody else will be dubbing.”
With Valentine’s Day having recently passed, Priyanka confessed that she was slightly disappointed with how her day turned out to be. “It was very crappy because Upi wasn’t in town. But I spent it with my kids and my dog. That’s what happens when you get married!” she jokes.
Interestingly, films are going to be a side-project after she completes ‘Crazy Star’, because she’s all set to focus her energy on giving back to society. “I’m planning to start something on my own — an organisation to help women and children. I’ve been working on it for a long time but other things have always come up. Once this production gets over, I’m going to devote myself to that,” Priyanka sums up.