Exclusive! Mugilpete is my first film and a big deal for me, so I gave it my best, says Kayadu Lohar

Kayadu Lohar is no star kid, and yet this Pune girl is gearing up for debuts in three of the four south Indian film industries, which is no mean feat, considering she has nothing to show for as far as her work goes. In fact, Kayadu’s very first film is in Kannada, the Bharath S Navunda directed Mugilpete, in which she is paired with Manu Ravichandran. The film is slated for release on November 19, the promotions of which are on in full swing, with Manu travelling across the state. Kayadu is yet to join him, as she’s figuring out her schedule amid her Malayalam and Telugu debut projects, as well as some personal commitments. In fact, when we reached out the young actress, she was available for a quick chat quite late in the night, for which she was profusely apologetic too. “I have been busy with some personal work and been travelling,” she explains, adding, “I am hoping to join Manu next week to promote the film in the run-up to its release.”

A model in Pune, Kayadu says that Mugilpete is a film that came to her after her pictures were shared with the team. Nailing the audition was tough, she says, as she had to mug up her lines, and emote while delivering them. At the time, the actress was worried about delivering her lines properly, given that she had a lot of scenes with Manu and that Kannada is a new language for her. But in the time since the team began releasing songs and glimpses from the film, Kayadu has been getting a lot of positive feedback, which, she says has boosted her confidence. “Mugilpete is my first film ever and fulfills my dream of getting into cinema. It is a big deal for me, so I had to be my best, because there are a lot of other artistes who are doing great work. And if you want your work to be noticed, you have to do your best. So, I was a little worried at first about getting the language right, because you need to respect it and be correct; a lot of people’s sentiments are attached to their language. The feedback so far is that I have done a good job, so that’s a relief,” she says.

Shooting for Mugilpete was quite the journey, she says. “Before the pandemic, we were all prepped to start shooting and were looking at completing the film in one long 60–75-day schedule, but then things didn’t go as per plan. The whole team was stressed out, because there was a lot of effort that had gone into preparation and there was uncertainty about when we could resume work. Once relaxations came in, we began shooting again, but it was not easy, because we had to maintain safety protocols, etc. Thankfully, we managed to finish the film without a hitch,” adds Kayadu.

While she doesn’t divulge much about her role in the film, the actress says that it is pivotal to the narrative. “I’m not there for the glam factor, with only song-and-dance routines; the whole film is about love, as well as family, friends and finding your soulmate. This is a film that will remind you of the good old family dramas,” she adds.

Interestingly, Kayadu did not have to wait for her debut film to release to bag her next project. “I am currently shooting for my Malayalam debut, Pathonpatham Noottandu, which is a period film directed by Vinayaan, with Siju Wilson in the lead as Ezhava chieftain, Arattupuzha Velayudha Panicker. The film has a massive ensemble cast, including names like Deepa Sati, Anoop Menon, Poonam Bajwa, Jaffar Idukki, Sudev Nair, Chemban Vinod and so many others. I play Nangeli in this historic film, who is known to have protested the caste-based breast tax back in the 19thcentury. I have been shooting for the film in locations across Kerala, mainly Kochi and Palakkad. This is also a big-ticket launchpad for me, so, I have been lucky with the films I’ve got so far,” says the actress, adding that she’s also begun shooting for an as-yet-untitled Telugu film for Lucky Media.