Chaithra Achar: It’s amazing to be a part of great productions where you are treated as an equal

Chaithra Achar is just back from a very rejuvenating 10-day holiday in Vietnam, where she got a lot of sun, sand and sea. “It’s been work, work and more work over the last 3-4 months, where I was working on two films simultaneously. One, of course, is Sapta Sagaradaache Ello with director Hemanth Rao, which has Rakshit Shetty in the lead. The second is a film that is yet to be officially announced – one that I am extremely excited about. As an actor, it is the kind of film that one takes immense pride in in being a part of. Unfortunately, I am not at liberty to speak about it just yet, even though I am dying to declare it from the rooftop,” says Chaitrha, adding, “I absolutely needed this break and when a friend suggested Vietnam, I didn’t think twice. It was very hot in Ho Chi Minh, but the vibe of the city is so good that you tend to forget about the weather. In Hanoi, it was, surprisingly, cold; it felt like Ooty. I just loved all that I saw and will probably go back to explore areas of the country that I did not go to this time. Vietnam is testimony to human resilience. The country was nearly decimated during the war and it has taken a lot of effort on the part of its people to rebuild it.”

Talking about work, Chaithra, who was last seen in Gilky, in which she played a girl with cerebral palsy, says that she has a bunch of good films lined up for release. “My policy has been to take up roles that challenge me as an artiste. There’s Happy Birthday To Me, in which my character is a junkie, followed by Strawberry, which has been produced by Rakshit Shetty. The film has Shruti Hariharan in the lead, and I play her sister. Rakshit is still trying to figure out whether to bring it to theatres or give it a direct to OTT release. Thereafter, there is Sapta Sagaradaache Ello, in which I am an independent, strong woman that audiences can relate to, although they may not necessarily agree with how she goes about certain things,” says the actress.

“My fourth project, which should be officially announced shortly, is special to me because of the team I got to work with, right from the director to my co-stars. The role is also as pivotal as that of the leading man, so I couldn’t have asked for something better. Most importantly, though, the shooting experience was a period of unlearning and imbibing new techniques in ‘natural’ acting. I feel a lot more grounded as an artiste after working on this film. Right now, it literally pains me that I am not able to talk about it freely, but I’m hopeful that the day is not far when we can finally tell the world about this beautiful film that we’ve made,” says Chaithra, adding, “I have an amazing role and although I am not sure how much of it I got right; the opportunity is a dream come true. “

Chaithra is happy about the current trajectory of her film career. “I’ve been extremely lucky that I’ve got to do roles that are different from each other. So, with each new film I can affirmatively say that it’s something I have not done before. Each of my films have me in different avatars, whether it is a college gal, someone with a disability, a substance user, or a mature middle-aged woman. Honestly, le it is nice to hear people talk about how, say, I would be perfect for a performance-oriented role. I’ve established a certain image as an actress. When I was offered SSE, although I was keen to work with Hemanth M Rao and Rakshit, I was prepared to decline it if there was nothing much for me to do. But then Hemanth is one of the most sensible writer-filmmakers in Kannada cinema and Rakshit is not a hero who insists on the story revolving only around him. All three of us – Rakshit, Rukmini Vasanth and I – have our own space in the film,” she says. Most importantly, though, Chaitra reckons that being part of good productions and getting roles with weightage equal to that of the leading man, is a good place to be in. “It’s like double dhamaka – you are in a good production that pays well and you are treated like an equal. It can’t get better than this,” she signs off.