PremiumExclusive! Chaithra J Achar: I’m loving all the attention I’ve got since Toby; it’s nice and humbling
Chaithra’s role as Jenny in the Raj B Shetty-led film was widely appreciated. She will next be seen in Rakshit Shetty’s Sapta Sagaradaache Ello Side B
Last Updated: 10.29 PM, Sep 07, 2023
“I’ve never before been so busy with promotions and related events as I have been in the last couple of months, what with two of my films – Toby and Sapta Sagaradaache Ello – releasing closely together. It’s only in the last couple of days that I have been at home and relaxing a bit,” says Chaithra J Achar, when we call her to find out how life’s been recently. Chaithra played a pivotal role in Raj B Shetty’s Toby, a character that got her widespread praise within the Kannada film industry and a large section of the general audience as well. This has come at a time when she is also preparing to promote her portions of Sapta Sagaradaache Ello, which happen to be in the second instalment, Side B, that will be in theatres on October 20.
Among the many comments she’s got, Chaithra is also being called Karnataka’s Alia Bhatt. She laughs and says, “I’ve no idea where that’s coming from, but am told people think I look like her. It’s very flattering, though, because she is very pretty and an extremely talented actress, Having said that, why not just call me Karnatakada Chaithra?” Interestingly enough, the actress says that even Google photos’ face detection software has asked her if she’s Alia. “I don’t know what feature matches; perhaps the jawline,” she says. This apart, it is only now that a larger section of audience has taken note of Chaithra, although she’s been around in the Kannada film industry since 2019’s Mahira and has been in films like Taledanda and Gilky. “You know, even the people who knew that I was an actress and the projects I had done are suddenly reacting to me differently; praising my work in Toby. At the gym, people are pointing at me and talking in hushed tones that I am the Toby actress. There’s also the set of acquaintances and friends who are suddenly proud of me and I am like, ‘Where were you guys earlier?’ It’s honestly a bit funny, but I am also liking the attention; it’s nice and humbling too,” she says.
Read: Chaithra Achar: It’s amazing to be a part of great productions where you are treated as an equal
When Toby released and the first reviews started pouring in, Chaithra received a call from actor-filmmaker Duniya Vijay. “He had not seen the film, but he had heard my name from many people that he thought he needed to call and congratulate me, which I thought was a very sweet gesture. Then, after the celebrity show, I got a lot of praise from Shivarajkumar sir, Rakshitha (Prem) ma’am and many others. In the film, Chaithra played Jenny, Toby’s (Raj B Shetty) adoptive daughter, a power-packed performance that she’s been immensely proud to have done. And while she’s still basking in all the love coming her way, the actress is now gearing up for Sapta Sagaradaache Ello Side B, in which she plays Surabhi, a character in Manu’s (Rakshit Shetty) life. “Promotions should start in a couple of weeks and I am excited about the kind of questions that will now come my way,” she says.