Progress for the little girl

She first faced the camera when she was in the third standard, for popular tele-serial Arasi. The then-child artiste then turned to films, and has acted in a series of Kannada movies, including her latest role in Edakallu Guddadamele. The girl who shot to fame with her supporting role in the popular soap Brahmagantu, gets a big break with the brand new tele-venture on Colors Super Maneye Mantralaya, which is being produced and directed by renowned TV personality KS Ramji of the Puttagowri Maduve fame. Actress Pragathi, who has bagged the lead role speaks exclusively with Bengaluru Chronicle on her progress onscreen. Also, the teenager reveals that she cleared her tenth standard on Wednesday, and aspires to continue her studies through distance learning.

The actress who started her acting career at the tender age of eight, when she was in the third standard, reveals that it was because of her mother, (who is also an artiste) that she ended up being a child artiste.

“My mother Hemakala, who is also an artiste, is at present seen portraying supporting roles in serials like Jodi Hakki, Brahmagantu, and few others. She is the reason I took to acting so early on. I had accompanied her to a tele serial audition and the makers selected me for the child’s lead role. That is how I started my career,” smiles Pragathi, who just passed her tenth standard examination on Wednesday!

Excited over her big break in Maneye Mantralaya, the teenage actress says that she was contacted by the team while she was shooting for another teleserial. “Ramji Sir had seen my photographs, and expressed that I suited the character of a confident village girl. Even team members took auditions, and eventually they finalised me for the role. Frankly speaking, though my mother is an artist, I never took up formal acting lessons, and have learnt the skills on the job. My mantra has been very simple — follow what the director asks me to do while shooting. I follow the director’s instructions to the best of my ability,” she adds.

As a student, Pragathi feels that she did miss out on the golden years of life in school, “Yes, I did miss out on all the fun as a student but if one has to achieve something then he or she has to be ready to sacrifice too. I would work hard when not shooting, and I have managed to do my best as a student. I, now aspire to continue my studies through distance learning along with another dream of mine, to become a fashion designer,” she adds.

Before wrapping up, she recollects a memorable moment when none other than Century Star Shivarajkumar gave her an award as best child artiste for one her projects, on the legendary late actor Dr Rajkumar’s birth anniversary.