Actress Shubha Punja will be gracing the Kollywood screen after 10 years with a horror thriller to be directed by lyricist-turned-director Hrudaya Shiva, who is currently making his directorial debut in Kannada with Modala Male starring Prem and Hariprriya.
According to the actress, the yet-to-be-titled film has a woman-oriented subject and there are only three or four characters including her. “The story revolves around an old woman, a male character and myself in the lead, with just a couple making a guest appearance. The director plans to cast an artiste from Tamil for the old woman’s role,” says Shubha.
The actress, who started her film career with the Tamil film Macchi and followed it with a couple of films before getting established in Sandalwood, feels that it was the strength of the script and the ability of the director which made her take it up. “I did get offers in between from the Tamil industry but no roles enticed me. I did not want to go back to Tamil playing second lead or in small roles. I was contented doing Kannada cinema. But when this script was narrated to me by Hrudaya Shiva, I found the story to be interesting. Secondly, I know the director well and have even worked with a few technicians who are part of this film. So the comfort level is quite high,” she says.
The film will start rolling next week and the first schedule starts in Bengaluru. “We will be shooting for 2 to 3 days here and the main schedule will take place in Pollachi from January,” she reveals.
On Sandalwood front, Shubha has completed her shoot for A Harsha’s Jai Maruthi 800 and is left with a few song shoots. “I am also doing a special role in dance master-turned-director Dhanakumar’s film Sanjeeva,” she says
The actress is currently waiting for the release of Tharle Nan Maklu, which is slated for a New Year release. “Kannada will always remain my priority,” she signs off.