Perceptable humility and exemplary acting skills make Radhika Pandit different from other heroines.
She might have bagged the Filmfare award for the second consecutive year as the best Kannada actress, but she chooses to remain humble. “It is nice to get awards. It is definitely an encouragement for artistes like me. However, success has not overtaken my thoughts,” she says and smiles.
Radhika made her debut three years ago with 18th Cross, but the film is yet to hit the silver screen. Her acting in ‘Moggina Manasu’, a women-oriented film, earned rave reviews from critics. “I never expected to get an award for my performance in ‘Moggina Manasu’. To be frank, I was anxious whether or not the audience would accept me as a heroine,” explains Radhika.
Her sterling performance made Nagathihally Chandrasekhar cast her as the heroine for his film ‘Olave Jeevana Lekkaachaara’ in which Srinagara Kitty was the hero. However, the film did not fare well at the box office. Her third film ‘Love Guru’ not only succeeded at the box office but also fetched the Filmfare award in 2009 for her.
“I am honoured to get the award for the second time,” says the actress. Her recent film ‘Krishnana Love Story’ has completed 50 days of screening and is heading towards 100 days. Many Kannada film analysts opine that she has the potential to fill the vacuum created by the sad demise of ‘Minugu Taare’ Kalpana. They compare her performance in ‘Krishnana Love Story’ with Kalpana’s performance in ‘Shara Panjara’. However, a few critics feel that the character (Geetha) in ‘Krishnana Love Story’ should not have committed suicide. “As a girl, I agree with them. But as an actress I have to play a variety of roles. My character in ‘Krishnana Love Story’ is different from the characters of normal formula films,” she narrates.
She says she is lucky to have parents who are from theatre. “I never wanted to become an artiste though. My ambition was to become a teacher. I used to treat the plants in our garden as students and practice teaching when I was a child,” the actress says.
How did she stepped into films?
“I graduated from Mount Carmel. One of my friends told me that I should try acting. I started with teleserials — ‘Nanda Gokula and Sumangali’. After that, I made it to films,” she says. She claims that director Shankar of 18th Cross selected her as the heroine after seeing her photograph in one of the Kannada weeklies.
Radhika’s latest film ‘Gaana Bajaanaa’ is set to hit the silver screen within a few weeks. “I play a bubbly girl in that film. I am lucky to be part of the same team that made ‘Love Guru’. I hope the audience will accept the film,” she says.