Hariprriya, who is still basking in the success of Bell Bottom, is getting ready for her upcoming film, Soojidhara. The film with a title, meaning needle and thread, is an unconventional movie.
“The tag line - Mi mana poniso (the needle and thread that stitch the body and soul) -- represents the worth of a needle and thread. Like it is meant to stitch torn clothes, in life, every person needs a needle and thread to repair his/her life,” Hariprriya explains.
Having said that, at any point in her career, has she felt the need for a Soojidhara? “Not really. I had never thought I would become famous because I never dreamt of becoming an actor. Only after working in two to three films, I developed a passion towards this industry. When I was noted for my role in Kallara Santhe. Later with films like Pilla Zamindar in Telugu, Muran in Tamil and Thiruvambadi Thamban in Malayalam did I gain recognition across the South,” recalls Hariprriya, adding that it was Ugramm brought her back to Sandalwood. “It gave me a further push. Since then I’ve had a hit every year, including Neer Dose, Bharjari, Jai Simha in Telugu, and this year starting with Bell Bottom. So far, I have had a good run, expect during one phase when things were a bit slow, “ she adds.
For a commercial heroine, Mounesh L Badiger’s directorial, Soojidhara is an experimental film. According to her, comparing the success rate of commercial and new-age films, the former wins hands down, especially in Kannada. “I’ve come to like the theatre, which is why I chose Soojidhara. My friends, encouraged me to watch a few plays at Ravindra Kalakshetra. From what I have observed, artistes have a lot of energy from start to end. Their involvement and memory is something else. I was thinking that at some point I should be part of a play, when this film came by. The director and artistes came from a theatre background. Mounesh had said Soojidhara would be an experimental bridge cinema, and when the team mentioned that I was a performer and a localite, and they wanted me to be part of the film,” she says.
Hariprriya says Soojidhara is a realistic film that is about finding identity. “It was wonderful to have associated with Achyuth Kumar and Suchendra Prasad. I hope to create another kind of identity through this film,” she says.
How was the shooting experience with team? “I had to emote the struggles that a middle-class girl goes through. Expressions were very important. Unfortunately, I was running a high fever during some important scenes, but that also came in handy since I was able to emote better,” says Hariprriya.