Ooru's lil' Miss Sunshine

If dynamites come in small packages, this little one is dynamite many times over! Just six-years-old, she has already acted in more than a dozen feature films, while also featuring in at least 150 commercials.

Yuvina Parthavi, a class III student, has shared the screen with top stars in the south film industry — Arjun Sarja, Ajith, Surya, and now in her latest film, she plays an innocent role alongside the versatile Ramesh Aravind in his 100th venture — Pushpaka Vimana (2016). Yuvina, and her father speak to Bengaluru Chronicle, about her experiences and her favourite stars.

Her father, Mahesh Rayan recalls when Yuvina was around two-years-old, they took her for a photo shoot and to their surprise, unlike many children, their daughter was totally at ease in front of the camera. “She was very patient, and kept posing for the camera. Most children would cry and get irritable but she just smiled, and seemed interested all the way,” says her father Mahesh.

After two Kannada films — Abhimanyu directed by Arjun Janya and a horror film starring alongside the beautiful Priyanka Upendra — Mummy Save Me which is yet to release, Yuvina is back onscreen in the 2016 version of Pushpaka Vimana, portraying Ramesh Aravind’s daughter (the younger version).

About her acting experience, Yuvina says, “I enjoy acting in films. I take it as a challenge whenever I get an opportunity. I do not prepare for the film. They ask me to enact a few dialogues, and I do it. They also teach me how to act and talk before the camera.”

In fact, her acting career started when she was just two-and-a-half year old. Noted film maker Saravanan from AVM Productions noticed her thanks to Yuvina’s father’s contact.

“It was Mr Saravanan who was really taken with her portfolio, and decided to launch a TV soap Uravukku Kai Koduppom in 2011, featuring the little Yuvina in the lead, which later ran over 200 episodes. In fact, just like any other, Yuvina took some time to adjust to acting. The director of the serial had almost decided to choose another child actor for the serial, but it was Sarvanan who strongly supported her, and eventually she excelled,” Mahesh adds.

So, how does the pip squeak manage studies and acting? Yuvina says that her parents and the school help her cope with studies. “My parents along with my classmates and the school teacher help me in my studies,” says the little girl.

Apart from acting, Yuvina also likes Western and classical dance forms, and is currently learning both when she gets time away from school work, and acting.
“Drawing is my other favourite hobby. I like junk food too, be it pizza, burgers etc,” pipes the girl whose favourite hobby is watching cartoons on TV and Disney, especially Beauty and the Beast.

While her parents stress on her studies, despite being flooded with film offers, they are also choosy in selecting projects. “We treat her like any ordinary child, with no special attention. We have tried to keep her down-to-earth, as it is very easy for children to get carried away with all the special attention and limelight. Infact, we keep telling that she is just like any other kid, and anybody can do what she is doing. Shootings are also planned on weekends so that she does not misses too many classes,” says her father Mahesh.

The little power house is also multi-lingual, and can speak Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, English and Hindi! But at heart, she is just a child, and feels most thrilled when her classmates and friends appreciate her, after watching her movies.