On my Pinboard: Vidya Murthy

Vidya Murthy is a well-known Kannada serial actor. Part of the first batch of NMKRV, Bengaluru, she took to acting through theatre. At 61, Vidya is still going strong with many projects in her kitty. Krishna Tulasi, Magalu Janaki, Papa Pandu are some of her ongoing projects.Some of her previous notable appearances were in Mukta, Mukta Mukta, Mayamruga and Baduku.She has also acted in films like Mylari and Prithvi.

Travel
Madikeri
“I am not a big fan of travelling. I travel a lot for my shoots and I don’t like that nomadic life. If I go to a place, I like to stay there for a while and explore it. Having travelled across India, Madikeri is my favourite place. I was born there and so I have an emotional bond with the place. Also Madikeri has produced so many soldiers which increases my respect for the place.”

Inspiration
G K Jagdish, brother
“My brother, G K Jagdish, is my inspiration. He was a renowned bharathanatyam dancer and actor. Back in those days, both female and male characters were portrayed by males. My brother was always given the female characters and he used to play them to perfection. Apart from him, I consider my mother as my inspiration. The way she led her life is an open guide for me.”

Food
Rasmalai
“Being a pure vegetarian, I like Indian food. Having an inclination towards sweets, Rasmalai is my favourite. Recently I have been hardly getting time to cook, although I used to enjoy cooking earlier.”

Music
Noor Jehan
“I like melodious songs. Be it Western, Carnatic, Hindustani or even Japanese, if it’s pleasing to the ears, I like it. I had learnt Carnatic music as a kid. Though I love singing, due to my busy schedule, I never really got to practice. Noor Jehan is my favourite singer. ‘Jawan Hai Mohabbat Haseen Hai Zamana’ from the film ‘Anmol Ghadi’ is very dear to me. Songs these days are not very appealing as I do not like the lyrics.”

Author
S L Bhyrappa
“I like reading social, mythological and historical books. I do not like detective novels. S L Bhyrappa is my preferred writer as he writes about his experiences.His books ‘Parva’, ‘Tantu’, ‘Yaana’, ‘Mandra’, ‘Daatu’, ‘Bhitti’ are some of my favourites. ‘Parva’ approached Mahabaratha in a very different way. ‘Aaavrana’ is my current read. The writing style is what impresses me the most. It feels like the characters are actually talking to me and that the story is happening around me. He studies every character in detail. ”

Films
Lakshmi
“Rajkumar, Vishnuvardhan, Anant Nag, Lakshmi are some of my favourite actors. Their style of acting is very natural. While films these days are more hero-oriented than subject-oriented, scripts were given more prominence back then. Actors were selected according to the story. It is just a mere entertainment now.”