'The role changed my way of thinking'

TOTALLY PREPARED

Shwetha Srivatsav has managed to carve a niche for herself in the Sandalwood industry though she is not a model or from a family of actors.

The actress, who has worked in the hit Simple Agi Ondh Love Story, was drawn to films after dabbling with theatre. Though she struggled to fit into the industry at first, she was patient enough to stick on and is now quite excited about her new release ‘Fair and Lovely’.

“I play the role of a sex worker. However, it is a family-oriented film. It is quite different from the characters I have played in the past. So it was quite a challenge. Like always, the role changed and influenced my thought and perception as I analysed deeper.”

She looks up to legends like Dr Rajkumar and Satyajith Ray and decided to pursue a career in films after watching Ray’s classic Charulatha. Hailing from a conservative family, she says that her dad was at first confused and apprehensive as to whether she would be happy in the industry.

But however, he is now confident of her future as she has given two hits. According to her, the industry is growing and young girls get a lot opportunities even if they don’t have any experience in the field of modelling.

“However, that being said, they should complete their education and only then
join films. The industry is not always glamourous. It involves a lot of hard work. Also, youngsters feel that studying films as a course isn’t necessary. This mindset has to change because to understand the depth, technicalities and aesthetics of cinema, it is important to study films,” says the actress who has completed her degree in mass
communication.

When asked about her dream role, Shwetha says that she would like to turn any character that she is asked to portray into her dream role.