Having been in the industry for the past 13 years, first as child artist, then as the Golden Queen of Sandalwood, actress Amulya is all set to take Karnataka by storm with her next, Gajakesari. And according to the actress, who has hit the right note with her girl-next-door looks and roles, the film will reinvent her image.
“Even in my dreams, I never thought that I would be as glamorous as I look in Gajakesari,” says Amulya, who recalls the day when the director discussed her role in the film. “I was really shocked. I even asked my co-director if they were sure they wanted to cast me. I wondered why they were taking a chance with me when there were far more glamorous actresses who could play the character. But they were confident about me,” explains Amulya. She wonders if the audience, who appreciated her in simple roles, would accept her in the new avatar. “Thankfully, I got loads of appreciation for my makeover and I was glad to get compliments for something I never imagined,” she says.
The actress states that she got a few tips from the director before she went on the sets and it was he who told her to be bold, open and behave on the sets as if she was at home. “Fortunately, it helped. I got my confidence back with the help of the director, actor Yash and co-director Tarun,” she says.
Not just the makeover, but Amulya was also excited with her role in Gajakesari in which she researches birds and loves talking about environment conservation. “My underwater experience was something I cannot forget. For me, it was the very first time as I don’t know how to swim. Initially, I thought the shot would be in a swimming pool but they dumped me in the sea at Murudeshwar for five long hours. Of course, we were accompanied by scuba divers. I went breathless two times but it was well planned and the sequence came out quite brilliantly,” she says.
The actress, who bid goodbye to the industry only to come back with Shravani Sumbramanya, is now unstoppable, bagging back-to-back films. And Amulya is quite content as well. “I was too young to react to the success of my film Cheluvina Chittara. I was overjoyed when Shravani Subramanya turned out to be a hit. I have this problem of having negative thoughts about my roles in films. I am always worried if I can do justice to comedy. But I am thankful to God for all the success. Likewise, I am confident about Gajakesari too. If I look from the audience’s point of view, the film has everything going good right from the story, screenplay, songs and more. Gajakesari has a positive vibe to it,” she says.
Up next is Male and Kushi Kushiyalli and she doesn’t regret letting go of Yograj Bhat’s Vaastu Prakara. “I couldn’t back out of my old commitments. This is the third film in a row that I have missed with Yograj Bhat, the previous ones being Drama and Pancharangi. I will now allow fate to decide as to when I will work with him,” she says.
Amulya signs off, “While Male will carry the image of Shravani Subramanya, I have an interesting role in Kushi..., a character with negative shades. It is good to experiment and play different roles.”