Sapthami Gowda got her first big break with Suri's Popcorn Monkey Tiger. Her role as Girija, an extrovert and a role similar to her actual self, in the gangster drama got her a lot of good responses. This bolstered her belief in picking up distinct roles with every film. Now, in her second film, Sapthami will be seen in a rather exciting role of Leela, a forest guard, in Rishab Shetty's Kantara.
"I got good feedback for my role as Girija in PMT. However, post the film, I was offered only such roles.
In my mind, I wanted to play a role that was completely different, and I am glad Leela came my way," says Sapthami. Ahead of the release of the film on September 30, Sapthami says Rishab calling her for an audition was a big thing for her, and all she wanted to do was be part of his vision.
"Post- PMT, the lockdown kept us all home. During that time, I was doing a documentary on Karnataka tourism, and a picture of mine caught the director's attention, and he called me for auditions.
He first briefed me about the role and gave the references to Kantara, and that was definitely a selling point for me," says Sapthami.
When asked about the best and toughest part of being part of Rishab Shetty's directorial, Sapthami says, "Everyone in the film, including Kishore, Achyuth Kumar, and Pramod, are fine actors. The rest of them came from a theatre background.
I was just a one-film-old actor. I felt it would be tough to match up to their standards. But I liked how Rishab put me through a workshop before casting me. In fact, he finalised me only after I understood Leela, and was aware of the authenticity of the coastal culture, and had a hold on the dialect. I'm glad I never let Rishab down."
It is not often that we see a forest guard being portrayed on screen, and Sapthami exudes pride in playing such a role, especially in just her second film.
"Leela's character has a unique graph. Her character refers to the first woman officer in the 90s, who was recruited as a forest guard," says Sapthami, adding that Leela helped her have a better understanding of the forest, and its inhabitants.
"I got to meet the officer when I was shooting. I felt proud wearing the uniform, and that is one thing I have taken back home as a memory. I haven't even washed the uniform, because there is a lot of connection with the marks," she says.
Sharing that working with Rishab was a golden opportunity, Sapthami says that Hombale Films' involvement was the icing on the cake.
"I came onboard Kantara mainly because it was a Rishab film. The involvement of a big production house like Hombale Films was a piece of surprise news to me. Everything about Kantara was a blessing in disguise. I can get a variety of roles in my career, but the role of forest guard will also remain special, and I'm glad that I was destined to be part of such a role," she signs off.