Agnyathavasi’s Paavana Gowda: I got a lot of praise for Jatta, but that did not translate into more work

Paavana Gowda has always had film offers since her debut with Gombegala Love, although her filmography of only 20-odd movies so far may belie that. But that is because either she could not see herself in some of these roles or that she did not belong in a certain kind of film. There were also times when she had no confidence in the teams associated with the films. Opportunities were always there, she reckons, because of Gombegala Love.

What she found strange, though, is that after Jatta , she was inundated with praise from all corners, with some of the biggest filmmakers praising her performance. “The love and praise I got was immense, which I never imagined even in my wildest dreams. Top-notch directors and producers reached out with congratulatory messages, lauding my work in Jatta, but that did not convert into opportunities later. That’s a different story, perhaps because I have not delivered a commercial success yet,” Pavana says matter of fact.

The Aatagara actress, whose last mainstream release was the Vinnod Prabhakar starrer Fighter, is cu rrently in theatres with Agnyathavasi, a murder mystery directed by Gultoo 's Janardhan Chikkanna, which has been produced by Hemanth M Rao. The film stars Rangayana Raghu, Ravishankar Gowda, Siddu Moolimani, Sharath Lohithashwa, Yamuna Srinidhi, among others in pivotal roles, with Pavana as Pankaja bringing in the big twist in the tale.

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Agnyathavasi is set in the late 90s in Malnad, when computers were just beginning to pop up and follows the events that occur after a young man from a well-to-do family gets a desktop and a dial-up internet connection. He uses the ease and speed of communication to his benefit by becoming a digital postman for the people of the village. But then two people end up dead and the local inspector, who has not had any major crime in his jurisdiction for a while, has to take a deep look into his own past to solve the murder.

Agnyathavasi released in theatres on April 11, to largely positive reviews, but the film continues to struggle for occupancy and show retention.