She made her silver screen debut at 18 with Sajini — which the award-winning AR Rahman had composed music for. She then went on to feature in Tamil and Telugu movies too. The pretty Sharmiela Mandre, who turns 25 today, wishes to be “sweet 16” forever. She speaks exclusively to Bengaluru Chronicle as she awaits the Kannada release Mumtaz, which hits the screens this Friday. The actress who had a dream run this year, making her Bollywood debut in Katha which is scheduled for a 2016 release, speaks about her future plans, movies, resolutions and much more.
“I have not watched the movie (Mumtaz) so far, and I am totally excited about it. I took it up because of the way director Ragahava Murali narrated the script. I am a great movie buff and can easily guess the storyline but the director showed such great skills in narrating it that I could not speculate! It is a romantic film unlike my previous ones. And it’s not a clichéd one but an experimental movie that could go either way — succeed or fail. Ultimately, we as actors can only trust directors and hope for the best,” says Sharmiela, who is presently holidaying in Istanbul.
Deciding to spend quality time with her loved ones this year on her birthday (October 28), the actress is working towards her long-term plan to turn director. “Direction is definitely on the cards, but I look at it as a long term plan. I believe in doing things one at a time. At present, I am eager to work in projects that are promising and more importantly, satisfy the actor in me. I guess I have had my share of appearing in few scenes and couple of songs. I am very excited with my Bollywood debut Katha for which I have already finished shooting. Sai Paranjpye’s 1983 classic Katha is being remade by Khalid Mohamed in which I portray the role played by Dipti Naval in the original. It was a great experience and challenging for me as the character has different shades. Most of all, my character in Katha is completely opposite to what I am in real life,” she says.
Speaking about future prospects after her Bollywood debut, the actress who returns as Mumtaz alongside Dharma Keerthiraj (they both featured together in a superhit song Kan kanna salige), Sharmiela is very confident about Katha and she has also a signed a new movie in Telugu, but remains tightlipped!
“I am planning to take up script and screenplay writing courses, as part of my plans to turn director. That apart, I always wanted to do something adventurous both on and off screen, and hence want to learn martial arts. These would be my top priority in my list of resolutions this time. I feel I get younger every year, which pushes me further. Like any actress, I like to remain sweet 16 though it is easy for anyone to calculate my age as I made my debut at the age of 18. I wish I was going through something like what happened in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” she laughs.
Before she wraps up, Sharmiela shares her beauty secret, which she attributes to exercising for at least 45 minute a day without fail. “I never miss a day of workout. I have to hit the gym everyday and eat right. Most of the time, my family asks me to go easy but I just love doing it the hard way.”
We wish the pretty girl a happy birthday and a great year ahead.
