Exclusive! I am drawn to the kind of cinema I would want to watch, says Sakutumba Sametha’s Siri Ravikumar

Former radio jockey and theatre artiste Siri Ravikumar made the transition to the big screen a while ago, with a bunch of cameos and a couple of lead roles, albeit in festival circuit films that did not get theatrical outings and, hence, remain unseen by most people. So, tomorrow’s release, Sakutumba Sametha, is, in a sense, her debut as a leading lady. The film, directed by Rahul PK, is a Rakshit Shetty production, under his Paramvah Studios banner, and follows the protagonists, played by Siri and Bharath GB, ahead of their wedding, only to have her call it off. What happens, thereafter, when the two families meet to see if things can be worked out or not, forms the rest of the narrative.

Sakutumba Sametha, though, is not her only film with Paramvah Studios. Siri is also a part of Abracadra, directed by Shishir Rajmohan, in which she got to work with veteran actor Anant Nag. Both the films fall into the ‘content-oriented’ category that do not follow standard tropes of commercial cinema, so the question is whether Siri has been making a conscious choice to only associate with such films.

“I am glad that you pointed out that the kind of films that I have been a part of so far are not regular commercial cinema. Is it a conscious choice? Well, films itself happened to me by chance, when Ananya Kasaravalli cast me in Harikatha Prasanga, which was followed by P Sheshadri’s Beti. Both didn’t get theatrical releases. Given the kind of work I had done in theatre, when I started off in cinema, it did not occur to me that I should be doing ‘regular heroine’ kind of roles. The song-and-dance routines and the need to look a certain way for the screen, etc., did not register as things that I should be doing. I think that comes from the fact that I am drawn to the kind of cinema that I would watch as a member of the audience. Fortunately, I have been getting projects that are in line with this. So, I certainly did not plan my film career this way, but I am drawn to these kinds of scripts,” she says.

Siri proceeds to explain, “See, when Hemanth M Rao was making Kavaludaari, after the first look was out, he had come to the radio station I worked at for an interview and I told him that it looked so interesting that I would love to audition for any role he would perhaps have for me. He remembered this later and actually called me for a role in the film, which had Rishi and Anant Nag sir in the lead. I played Geetha Muthanna, Anant sir’s wife in a brief flashback sequence. That is the kind of films that I want to do. I’d say that everything is just falling in place in line with what I want.”

But isn’t that severely restricting for an artiste, because content-oriented cinema constitutes only a small percentage of the films made in Kannada? “I agree, but then, for me, if I get good scripts and roles or experimental cinema and the subject is demanding, irrespective of whether it works or not, there is some sense of satisfaction one derives from it. I still don’t know how it will feel whether audiences can relate to it as you do. Perhaps, I will have a better understanding tomorrow, once Sakutumba Sametha is in theatres. Would that affect my choice of films going forward? Honestly, I don’t know. But then, tomorrow, if I don’t have an acting career with the kind of films I want to do, I wouldn’t mind that. I would rather do good films that I am happy with than run-of-the-mill stuff,” reckons Siri.

The actress is aware that being a part of experimental cinema can also typecast you in the industry. At some point, she may have to conform to industry standards and do commercial cinema too. “I want to correct myself at some point. As an actor, I should be able to do all kind of roles. In fact, some years ago, I did a small role in Happy New Year. At the time, I had a conversation with Dhananjaya and I had told him that I am not keen on doing routine heroine roles. He, however, told me that as an artiste, I should do all kinds of roles and not be too choosy. I should be seen as someone who can handle everything and should not restrict myself. That hid me hard and keep that in mind every time that I think I won’t do something. Ultimately, as an actor, if something excites you, you should go ahead and do it. I will stick to that for as long as it works out for me,” she says.

Coming back to Sakutumba Sametha, what was it about the film that she was drawn to? “I think it is highly relatable. Most of the stuff in the film is what you have either seen around you or may have even happened to you. I could relate to it quite a lot and struck a chord and I thought that the character, Shraddha, who is modern and wants to do lot of things in life, but is also vulnerable, is me in some ways. I really thought that I could put my emotions into this role and show how I would react to situations depicted in the film. I knew I could do justice to the role and when I was selected I was elated,” Siri signs off.