Waiting for the big break
S. SHIVA KUMAR
| Shubha Punja, the effervescent young actor hopes that her wait will soon come to an end |
LOOKING FORWARD ‘I would like to establish myself and leave a mark. The rest is with the audience and God’
It’s slippery out there. Friendliness is mistaken to be an overture if you are female. More energy is spent warding off the wolves. You need an iron will even if it’s only a tiny place in stratosphere.
It’s a pleasure meeting today’s young actresses. They are articulate, effervescent and speak with disarming candour. They are not affronted when a professional faux pas is pointed out. Shubha Punja is a youngster who’s proven her talent but is awaiting box-office success. The interview:
You’ve already been around for nearly four years. Looking back do you think you should have waited a bit?
The problem is that I started very young. I dropped out of college and joined films. I was immature. There was no planning and I was fickle. I wanted to do Tamil films, wanted to act in Kannada films and also Hindi and Telugu. I wanted a piece of every pie. I would do a Tamil film and then sign a Kannada film. At a certain point I decided I wanted to be here. My family felt I was too young to be floating around alone. They decided that Bangalore would be my base.
How did it start? Did someone say, ‘hey you should be in movies’?
No. I’m a classical dancer. I’m not from theatre but acted in a lot of plays in school. Someone spotted me at a play fest and appreciated my performance. That made me feel I was probably good. I was picked only for cultural events because I was a big zero in studies. I too felt I had a flair for drama and dance. I dropped out of my first year in college and went to Chennai to get my portfolio done. My pictures were circulated only there so I got to do commercials.
Did you have films in mind?
I always wanted to act in films. You got a good break. You got a film opposite Sivaji Ganesan’s grandson. What happened?
The film bombed and that was the bottom-line. I got a good launch but well… I had to restart all over again. I did a few films which were not so good. I was doing less work so my mom felt there was no need for me to stick on there.
Were you not able to distinguish the thin line between glamour and sleaze?
Aah, I guess not because I was very naïve. I would believe anything anyone said. I didn’t know how to put my foot down and say no. I’ve learnt.
Not really because last year you did ‘Sutta Pazham’…..
(Interrupts) It was not that kind of a film though a photographer managed to shoot some pictures surreptitiously. The film was a comedy. It had its share of glamour but there was nothing erotic or sleazy. Yes, I wish I had done one or two scenes differently but I was too scared to put my foot down. The problem was that nobody here watched the film.
When things didn’t work there did you have a tough time establishing yourself here?
No. Just when I was finishing my Tamil movie S. Narayan gave me a call. I had done a film here called “Jackpot” which bombed too. Anyway, the director saw my picture shown by a co-ordinator and thought I suited the character in his film. There was no screen test. Luckily for me, I didn’t have to come back and shout from the rooftops that I was back.
Do you feel it’s better to be part of a successful film than have a great role in a film that has flopped?
No. I wouldn’t compromise on my role. I wouldn’t do a role if I felt I wouldn’t be comfortable watching, even for a big banner.
You had a good role in “Moggina Manasu” but the film flopped so how does that help?
It doesn’t help at all. But it’s very important to be part of a good movie. There’s no point doing a major role for a producer who can’t even get the film released. There’s no point. If the producer does his job well then it’s all up to the audience.
Your “Anjadiru” is getting released today. The heroine did not have a significant role in the original Tamil version. Did they promise to lengthen your role?
No, I was not promised any such thing. I just requested for a few more close-ups. I had some time and what interested me was the script. Even if I don’t gain anything, I have nothing to lose.
You were a part of the recent celebrations. Did you bond with the rest of the girls?
They were all nice. There was no ego problem. Everyone was mixing freely like they were all in college. There was no hierarchy. Apart from that it didn’t matter to me because I was there to do my part.
So you are tapping on the door to enter the next rung in the star system.
Yes, I’m tapping, probably a little too loud. Like everybody else there’s hope. It’s not the top slot. I want to be here for a long time. I wouldn’t want to be a three movie actress and enter oblivion. After such a long struggle there’s no point in running off. My effort is there. I would like to establish myself and leave a mark. The rest is with the audience and God.
No comments:
Post a Comment