Discovering her calling in acting

Priyanka Jawalkar may only be a few films old, but the Taxiwala actress personifies the new-age heroine. What’s more, she commands a good following thanks to her effervescent personality.

Priyanka will next be seen as a Muslim girl in the film Gamanam, which is directed by debutant director Sujana.

“The moment I heard the narration, I instantly knew I wanted to take up this role. I play a teenager named Zara and the role is deeply layered and dabbles in some very real emotions,” Priyanka explains.

She then tells us that the role actually made her understand what acting is all about.

“My preparation for the role has been so extensive that it literally made me understand what acting is all about as well as the joy of living out a character. I may not have even realised the bliss of acting had I not signed this film, all thanks to my director,” says the NIFT graduate.

Born in a Maharashtrian family in Anantpur, Priyanka has received no formal training in acting. She tells us that working with Sujana, a female director, has always been an added advantage.

“First of all, I could discuss with her several things about my role and outfits and eventually we developed an emotional bond,” Priyanka shares, adding that now she even discusses scripts of her upcoming film with her.

For someone who was raised with a mind-set to excel in academics, getting used to life in showbiz has yet been challenging.

But the actress says she’s slowly getting used to it. “In fact, acting helped me shed a lot of my inhibitions, opening me up making me poised for bigger challenges,” she says.

In addition to all the novelties in her life, Priyanka is set to make her Tamil debut in a yet-untitled film, which is to be directed by debutant Amruth Raj. She has been cast opposite Siddharth.

“When I was called for the audition, I actually went thinking I’d at least get to explore Chennai because I did not believe I could make it in the film. But the filmmakers instantly zeroed in on me after my audition,” she recalls happily.