She may have her roots in Bangalore but it was the Malayalam film industry that gave Meghana Raj her due. But now, three years since Punda, the actress is making her comeback with her second Kannada film, Raja Huli.
The movie is a remake of the Tamil hit Sundarapandian, which starred Sasikumar and Lakshmi Menon in the lead roles.
Meghana says that she feels nice about doing a Kannada movie after a long time. After all, she is a true Bangalorean at heart. "It really feels like a homecoming for me," she adds. Paired opposite Yash in the movie, Meghana says that her long wait to sign another Kannada film has finally paid off.
"Ihave always been choosy about my roles. I was very particular that I wouldn't sign up a film just for the sake of being on screen. I want to be a part of movies that give me the opportunity to perform and where Iactually have a full-time job to do — and I found that in Raja Huli," she notes.
So what has she brought to the role, which was earlier essayed by Lakshmi Menon? "One can definitely find the 'Meghana Raj' element in the film. The role is very different and challenging. Through the first half, there are a lot of silent conversations and everything is expressed through emotions," says Meghana.
There were rumours that she had lost a lot of weight for this role, which Meghana immediately dismisses. "Ihaven't done it for the role alone. People haven't seen me here for a long time, so they may have assumed it's for the role. But Idecided to take a healthier route and change for the better," she explains.
Having been part of films with original scripts in Malayalam, one wonders why she chose to come back with a remake? "While choosing a movie, Inever look at it as a remake or an original film. The script and the story are what matter to me. The content in Raja Huli is really good. If one has seen the original, one can see how different the screenplay is. And bringing that to the Kannada audience with changes, should make it a good watch," she says.
At the same time, she also agrees that there are more remakes than original films in Sandalwood these days. "During the 80s, there used to be so many original films in Kannada that other film industries used to remake. But now, we rarely find that. Iwish we could go back to that time and start bringing in more original stories, as there is immense talent here as well," she adds.
Incidentally, in the last couple of years, many Malayalam actresses have acted in Kannada movies, like Bhama, Bhavana and Parvathy Menon. "I really don't know why this shift is happening. But all I can say is I am glad to see so many of my colleagues doing well here," she sums up.
MS
The movie is a remake of the Tamil hit Sundarapandian, which starred Sasikumar and Lakshmi Menon in the lead roles.
Meghana says that she feels nice about doing a Kannada movie after a long time. After all, she is a true Bangalorean at heart. "It really feels like a homecoming for me," she adds. Paired opposite Yash in the movie, Meghana says that her long wait to sign another Kannada film has finally paid off.
"Ihave always been choosy about my roles. I was very particular that I wouldn't sign up a film just for the sake of being on screen. I want to be a part of movies that give me the opportunity to perform and where Iactually have a full-time job to do — and I found that in Raja Huli," she notes.
So what has she brought to the role, which was earlier essayed by Lakshmi Menon? "One can definitely find the 'Meghana Raj' element in the film. The role is very different and challenging. Through the first half, there are a lot of silent conversations and everything is expressed through emotions," says Meghana.
There were rumours that she had lost a lot of weight for this role, which Meghana immediately dismisses. "Ihaven't done it for the role alone. People haven't seen me here for a long time, so they may have assumed it's for the role. But Idecided to take a healthier route and change for the better," she explains.
Having been part of films with original scripts in Malayalam, one wonders why she chose to come back with a remake? "While choosing a movie, Inever look at it as a remake or an original film. The script and the story are what matter to me. The content in Raja Huli is really good. If one has seen the original, one can see how different the screenplay is. And bringing that to the Kannada audience with changes, should make it a good watch," she says.
At the same time, she also agrees that there are more remakes than original films in Sandalwood these days. "During the 80s, there used to be so many original films in Kannada that other film industries used to remake. But now, we rarely find that. Iwish we could go back to that time and start bringing in more original stories, as there is immense talent here as well," she adds.
Incidentally, in the last couple of years, many Malayalam actresses have acted in Kannada movies, like Bhama, Bhavana and Parvathy Menon. "I really don't know why this shift is happening. But all I can say is I am glad to see so many of my colleagues doing well here," she sums up.
MS