Fine tuning the movie to every detail, Mandahasa will see its release soon and nobody is more excited than former national beauty pageant winner Nikki, who is making her debut with the film.
Thirty months in the making, the release seems to be the result of thorough work on the entire filmmaking process and it is obvious when Nikki says, “Back then, I picked up this romantic musical subject as my debut because there was a lot of scope for performance. I had the conviction to do the role. As for its release, the producer, Basava Reddy, was looking for the right time.”
During the wait, Nikki consciously decided not to go on a signing spree. “I am currently listening to a few scripts in Kannada, Tamil and Telugu. After shooting for my debut, which took 40 days, I got tied up with modelling assignments and did a lot of ramp shows. In between, I did some commercial advertisements too. I am passionate about dancing and acting is something I really want to do. But everything has a time and I am waiting for the right moment. Of course, I would have taken up a project provided it excited me with a good script but nothing of that sort came my way,” she says.
According to Nikki, Mandahasa is a fresh take on a youth-oriented film. It has been directed by Rajesh Nair. She says, “The film has received a ‘U’ certificate without any cuts. It is a feel-good movie as there is more than just a love triangle in it, and with Santosh Rai Pathaje’s cinematography, the film looks young and vibrant,” she says.
For Nikki, modelling has always been a cake walk, but acting has been a completely different ball game. “It was a wonderful experience and I cherished shooting on the sets with a whole lot of newcomers. It was a great journey especially meeting Srinath, who plays my dad in the film. For an actor who is 275 films old, he is very down-to-earth. Secondly, the Kannada language was very challenging for me to speak. But if you have the passion, then everything becomes easy. I used to come well prepared on the sets and the team was also equally professional. The excitement is going to get higher in the coming ten days as I will be in Bangalore to promote the film,” she says.