Exclusive! Reeshma Nanaiah: I pick up only those roles that have an impact on the story

A little over a year ago is when Reeshma Nanaiah set foot in the Kannada film industry with director Prem’s Ek Love Ya. The film was the launchpad for his wife Rakshitha’s brother Raana, and while Reeshma got her moment in the spotlight and was lauded her bright and bubbly screen presence, Ek Love Ya, was, undoubtedly, the hero’s vehicle. Later in the year, she had a film called Raana, directed by Nandakishore, which, yet again, turned out to be all about the leading man, Shreyas Manju.

“As someone with no filmi background, Ek Love Ya was the perfect launchpad I could have hoped for. I got a lot of love and appreciation for it, which, as a rank newcomer was immensely encouraging. Raana, I agree, was a typical commercial film and didn’t have much in it for me eventually, but it’s an experience I wanted to have – to be a part of a massy entertainer,” she says.

Her first two films were, in a way, eye openers for her in the film industry, helping her navigate her route better now. “After Raana, I was approached for Ganesh sir’s film with Preetham Gubbi. The actor-director combination has an impressive track record behind them and there is a guarantee with Ganesh sir films that there will be all the elements that audiences enjoy, whether it is the comedy or emotions. My portions, as a vlogger, were majorly shot in Africa, with Ganesh sir and Rangayana Raghu sir, both of who were treasure troves of information and helped me with my craft immensely. I say that because now, when I am on the set of, say, KD, my next with Prem sir, or UI with Upendra sir, I can see the difference in how I approach scenes and perform them and have been told by other crew members as well that there is a marked difference,” says Reeshma, adding that after four films, two of which, Baanadariyalli and Vamana, are ready for release and another two in production, her game plan in chosing scripts has changed.

“Initially, I focused on the teams to associate with, whether it is the filmmaker or the co-star, but now, when I am approached for a film, all that I look for is how important my role will be. I am not hung up about only playing the lead or the romantic interest. What matters is if the character has any importance in the larger scheme of things. For instance, if I were to remove the character and it doesn’t affect the narrative, then I see no point in being a part of such a film,” she explains.

But then, that is the worry that netizens have about her role in KD, which looks like a full-on Dhruva Sarja vehicle. “Right now, people have formed that impression based on the first look poster. Once they see the teaser and understand why she is called Macchlakshmi, the relevance of the character will be more evident. In fact, when Prem sir gave me the role, he assured me that unlike routine commercial films in which the romantic interest is only a glamour element and doesn’t have a value add, here, each character, whether it is me or Shilpa Shetty ma’am, each one of us will have a justifiable role,” she says.