Actress Rinku Rajguru got her break in films very early in her career, which must mean that she is set to scorch the big screen. Her debut Sairat, directed by Manjunath, made audience take a second look at Marathi cinema.
Her performance in the movie was so magical that the makers of its Kannada remake were insistant that she is part of their project too. Interestingly, the actress has just taken her Class X exams, which got over on March 27 in Bengaluru, and took part in the movie’s promotions.
Rinku says, “Mujhe acting vagera me shokh nahin tha. (I didn’t have any desire to act in movies). I live in Aklug village, Solapur (Maharastra) and I happened to visit this place, which was previously a bank, where auditions were on. Director Manju saw me and asked if I wanted to give an audtion, I was 12 and was about to turn 13 when I attended the audition, just for fun because I knew they were looking for a girl of 21 years. And after my performance, they had auditions for nearly a year. But finally, they came back to me and said that I was selected for the role.”
Rinku was taken by surprise and, in her early teens, took permission from her parents to act in the movie. Few months in tinsel town and the young talent has realised that cinema is not all “a boy and a girl turn hero and heroine, and the story runs on what kind of costumes the two wear”. Rinku says movies are “mostly about the characters which is the only connect a movie has with its audience.”
The youngster says, with a straight face, that she draws inspiration from no actor or actress. But she enjoys and loves watching films of Amitabh Bachchan, Nana Patekar, Rekha, Hemamalini, Sridevi, Madhuri and Smita Patil.
After her move to Kannada industry, working with S Narayan under Rockline Productions, she says she never felt a stranger in another land. “I had to do the same role I had done in the Marathi film, Sairat. Nothing really had changed but I must say that the people around me made working in the remake little easier.” Rinku does not yet know if she will be given an opportunity to work in the Tamil and Telugu remakes, for which the rights have already been given. “If I am offered the role in the remakes, I will think over it,” she says.
Rinku says that she has been offered a role in a Bollywood film but she says she will only decide once she know how her career must go. Rinku says, chuckling, “Abhi me bachi hua, (I am still that little girl)... Now that I got a taste of acting, I would want to pursue it as a career, but my priority will be my education. I have been offered a few Marathi films, but I didn’t take them up because of my tenth exams. I have now go back and do my rounds.”
The actress has learnt a few Kannada words and phrases, and tests them,: “Channagidira? (How are you), Oota aitha (Have you had your lunch) and Kannadadali helidre nimmage artha hagolva, englishalli helbeka. (Can't you understand Kannada! Should I tell in English?)