Priyamani and Rachita Ram play two sides of the same coin in Ambareesha
Mahesh Sukhadhare’s upcoming Kannada action film, Ambareesha is touted to be a all-out entertainer and stars Darshan as the main protagonist with two heroines Priyamani and Rachita Ram playing the female leads. The film which deals with the excesses of the land mafia will release this week. In a telephonic conversation with City Express, Priyamani and Rachita Ram talk about their respective roles in the film and what is keeping them busy otherwise.
Priyamani does a negative turn
It is not everyday that a heroine gets an opportunity to play a negative role in the Kannada industry. So Priyamani’s turn as a character with shades of gray in Ambareesha is an interesting move indeed. “My image is not a problem as long it is interesting and offers me an option to do something different from my regular profile on screen. I will not say that it is a life-changing character for me as my role is not completely negative, but it definitely brings in that off centre element and amoral element. The audience wouldn’t have envisioned Priyamani as a strong character and this new character, even though she exists within the confines of mainstream movie logic is fresh,” Priyamani explains.
This role is novel for another reason and that is because she gets to be on par with Darshan in the film and their characters seem to clash since the very beginning. “Playing a bad character gradually grew on me and I think that it will work on the audience as well,” she adds. Given Sandalwood’s obsession of allowing heroes to dominate the screen, it becomes quite important for an actress to have an equally important role, admits Priyamani. “As a heroine, you want to do everything and try different roles. But unfortunately, in most cases the heroine is usually reduced to a love interest, which does not add much versatility to her acting talent or career. Trying to sing songs and look pretty gets tiring after a while. I don’t know whether I can compare my role in Ambareesha to that of Ramya Krishnan in Padayappa, but it is apparent from the first act itself that my character is very different,” she says.
Priyamani has been the face of South cinema and has also featured in a couple of Bollywood films. Regionally rooted, she has experimented with both content and form, in her own style. Despite being an established name, she still works on expanding her repertoire and improving her craft. “A heroine can give a twist to her film career, only if she can pull off different kinds of roles. I am fortunate enough that I got a chance to work with big directors and good projects. Whether these films did well or not, it gave me a chance to establish myself. Priyamani, believes in good roles and scripts that excite her. “Right now, I am surfing for some good scripts,” she says. She has also just completed a small-screen stint as a celebrity judge of the reality dance show ‘D’ in Malayalam.
The Romantic side of Rachita Ram
Young Rachita Ram known as the dimpled beauty of Sandalwood has managed to put her best foot forward in her films in the initial stages of her career. At the moment, she is quite happy playing simple girl-next-door characters, which she is reprising in Ambareesha where she plays the love interest of Darshan. "Every actress at the beginning of her career will be drawn to play simple romantic roles and I thoroughly enjoyed acting in Ambareesha. This is my second film with Darshan and overall my third project. I am in a phase, where I am learning the art of filmmaking with each film and getting acting tips from senior stars like Darshan and other members of the crew, It has been a great learning experience so far," she says.
Rachita is aware of Priyamani's role in the film but doesn't feel that it will overshadow her presence in the film. "Priyamani has a powerful role, while I will be shown as a soft-natured loveable girl in the film who ultimately wins the hero's heart," she chuckles and adds, "On a serious note, it was challenging for Priyamani to play a negative part and I feel that she has pulled off the role with great conviction. I also felt happy to be working with an experienced actress like her. The two-heroine trend has become common in most of the films today. Hariprriya and I share screen space in Ranna starring Sudeep. Ultimately I will be happy if people have liked me in the different roles that I play and that's what matters. With another heroine in the film, it also becomes a doubly difficult task to make my performance stand out in the film.”
Rachita is one of a few lucky heroines to have acted with the top heroes of Sandalwood so early on in her career and her costars include actors like Sudeep, Ganesh and Sri Murali. “However, it does not mean that I insist on working with only big stars. I am willing to take up roles that give scope for performance," she says.
The actress who is busy with the shoot of Ranna has got a short break in between to promote Ambareesha after which, she is all set to join the team of Rathavara.