Anusha Ranganath got initial recognition through a teleserial, Gokuladalli Seethe. Having made her transition to the silver screen with The Great Story of Soda Buddi, the actor now looks forward to her next outing, Andavaada.
The long-pending film, directed by Chala and starring Jai in the lead role, will finally be released this week. As Anusha gets busy shooting for her upcoming film, 10, in which she is paired opposite Vinay Rajkumar, she admits to being less recognised for her films than the serial.
“I am an introvert, and I am liking it this way. I am the kind of a person who usually doesn’t expect attention. I am content in the space that I am in today,” says Anusha.
Andavaada, according to the actor, is a “beautiful” love story in which she gets to play the role of a habitual liar. “This film takes me to a different world, where I am thinking about aliens and space. There is humour blended into my character, and it sometimes borders on being silly. The lie is the key point in my role and the film,” she says about the romantic entertainer that was mostly shot in the rainy season in Sakleshpur and Chikmagalur. “One song took us to the Andamans,” she adds.
Comparisons are bound to be made when two people from the same family choose to work in the same field. That’s inevitable, says Anusha, who is often compared to her young sister, Ashika Ranganath. “Any conversation with anyone is not complete without my sister’s name creeping in, and I am happy to talk about her too. People tell me that I look like her. Since Ashika has come to be known as the Chuttu Chuttu girl of Sandalwood after Raambo 2, they are keen to know about my popularity too, and the tag line that I carry,” explains Anusha, adding, “Though we are not different, the acceptance from the film fraternity vary. She has been received differently than me.”
Asked if she considers her sister as a competitor, or a hurdle to her career growth since she entered the industry later, Anusha responds, “Not at all. First of all, I have to be in the race to compete with my sister, or with any actor. Ashika is getting to do good work, and she deserves it. As for me, I am enjoying my space in the industry.”
This seems true with the glamour quotient too, where Ashika has an upper hand when compared to the characters Anusha has chosen to do. “We have a similar taste in films. However, I haven’t come across any glamorous role that fits me. The director or the creator of the characters have not tried to pitch in such kind of roles either. There is a beautiful side to glamour, but it should come with a certain kind of weight,” says the actor, who switched to cinema since she thought that playing one character in the long-running serials is monotonous.
“Three films is not enough to make a judgement about me or for the audience. I am waiting for good opportunities, and hopefully, with my forthcoming films, I will be able to steal more hearts,” she concludes.