In a Hari' to excel

With no ‘godfather’ in the industry, this pretty lass worked her way to the top — at times learning from failures and stepping ahead with her successes. Proud to be recognised as a good artist rather than just a heroine, Hariprriya speaks exclusively to Bengaluru Chronicle as she awaits the release of Ricky alongside Rakshith Shetty, and Neer Dose. As Sita, she plays a naxalite in Ricky, and in a complete reversal of roles, she is an ultra-modern girl in Neer Dose. The actress shares her jungle escapades, learning to live close to nature, and much more.

Hariprriya rose to another level in her career with Ugramm thanks to her impeccable acting. This also led to a streak of successes playing short but cute roles in Ranna and a village girl in Bullet Basya. “Currently, I am shooting for Neer Dose, and Ricky is up for release. Not just 2015, but ever since I entered the industry, I have had a superb time. I learnt everything out of my own experiences — be it good or bad. I had no mentor or connection with the film industry. My experiences taught me everything, which made me perfect. I feel fortunate that, after working for Ugramm, I was offered good, sensible projects. It’s been a bonus that apart from the good stories, I have had the opportunity to work with such good teams, which is crucial in film making,” says the actress.

On portraying a naxalite, Hariprriya shares that she enjoyed playing Sita. “It was a real adventure shooting for the film as it was shot in an actual forest. It is a total de-glamourous role which is a complete opposite of Radha in Neer Dose, which is an extremely glamorous one. It was also a first for me as I have portrayed very urban roles in the past. We are so used to caravans with all the facilities, personal space, etc. and in this film, there were no facilities while shooting. Moreover, even if they could be provided, such vehicles could not be parked on the narrow roads to the jungle. We had tents, sat on rocks and played card games. I got used to it quickly, as I love nature and I often head to the jungle, and new destinations,” she says, adding that the joy of having food in a tent and spending time in the lap of nature was blissful.

She also feels fortunate that while people spend for such trysts with nature, she had the opportunity through work.  On portraying a naxalite, she gives full credit to director Rishab Shetty who honed her talent. “I was thorough with the script and the director, who was so prepared and helped me get into the character. Though, I had watched a few videos on naxalism, I made sure it did not influence me personally. It was difficult to play a subtle and focused role like that,” Hariprriya reveals.

For Neer Dose, the Bengaluru lass feels extremely proud that the director chose her because she was a good artiste and not because she was a heroine! The actress who loves travelling for real adventures, is also good at sketching, and has a desire to learn skating. She reveals that she even belly danced for Neer Dose, which she learnt in a hurry.
 

 

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