She’s been on a signing spree in Kollywood and Tollywood, but home is where the heart is for namma hudugi Nandita Swetha, who’s just signed My Name is Kirataka with Rocking Star Yash. Although she’s back to the Kannada film industry after a massive gap of 10 years, Nandita, who’s doing quite well for herself in Telugu and Tamil films, wants to see this as a fresh start in Sandalwood. “I was still studying when I did my first movie. I don’t think this is a comeback for me. I want to be seen as a Kannada girl who did many projects in other states, and is now starting off her career in KFI. The style of cinema is different now and although I know that people will remember me as the Jinke Mari girl, I also want them to talk about what I’ve achieved in other industries too,” she says.
Over the years, Nandita has received thousands of mails and calls asking her when she would venture into the Kannada industry. “Somehow, the right project never came along, or the dates never matched. But now, I’m doing a big film with a big hero and good producer, so I’m elated,” states the actress, who was thrilled to be conversing with us in Kannada.
Her schedule has been chock-a-block considering she has a plethora of movies in her kitty. Her latest Telugu film Srinivasa Kalyanam, hit the screens on Thursday. “I play a bold village belle called Padmavathi. She’s an educated girl who doesn’t want to leave her family her whole life revolves around them. She’s in love with the hero (played by Nitin). People who’ve watched it have been able to emotionally connect with my character,” reveals Nandita.
Her other projects in Telugu include Bluffmaster and Prema Katha Chitram 2 while she has a couple of films in Tamil too including Nenjam Marapadhillai and Narmadha. As someone who’s mostly done performance-oriented roles, this Kannadathi realises the importance of doing commercial films too. “They’re important to reach a wider audience as there are a lot of fans who want to see our glamorous side. In the Kirataka sequel, I’ll be playing an innocent girl, which according to me is the toughest role to enact. You can portray a variety of roles, but bringing out innocence onscreen is hard,” she maintains, adding, “When Anil, the director of the film told me about the script, enjoyed it I always fall for comedies.”
Unlike other actresses who have shifted base to other cities, thanks to their work outside the state, Nandita still resides in Bengaluru. “I just travel a lot and shuttle between nammooru, Hyderabad and Chennai,” she smiles.
