Sadhna Venkatesh may seem like your average NRI Tamil girl who visits Chennai on vacations to spend time with her grandparents and extended family. But talk to her for five minutes and you will find out the truckloads of talent she possesses and all the accolades she’s received thanks to her abilities.
“I don’t think it’s me though, it’s all the opportunities I have been given and the support I have received,” she says humbly. Whatever it may be, Sadhna received the National Award for the category ‘Best Child Artist 2014’, for her debut film Thanga Meenkal and there’s no reason for her to be humble about it as she has performed very well to earn respect of the acting fraternity.
Since she had to act in the film when she was just eight years old, Sadhna had to shuttle between school, auditions, screen tests and then the shoot itself. But at that time, she was here in Chennai. In 2014, she and her parents moved to Dubai and it’s only gotten more adventurous since then, she says.
“Now I go to school on vacation. I’m here almost always, otherwise,” she laughs. The hard work has surely paid off for, apart from the National Award, she also won the South Indian International Movie Award, a special award at the Chennai International Film Festival, Tamil Nadu Media Council award and an award from the RKV film Institute, all in 2014.
Now at 16, she comes out as a multi-talented child artiste but she has not acted in a movie as a heroine. But, who knows the future? The artiste has completed working on her next film with Mamooty ‘sir’ and in fact, she’s in Chennai for its audio launch. This film, she says, was a lot more work as she plays a spastic child. “I have worked with spastic kids and, in fact, won an award for it at school, but acting like one means much more responsibility. I have been trusted to portray such a kid when it really hasn’t been done before,” she says. The film is tentatively releasing in September.
Films are not her priority though as she’s also a hardcore careerist. Sadhna began Bharatanatyam dancing with her mother at a tender age as she runs a dance academy in the city and in Dubai now. “I know I want to dance in the future too. I don’t know what else I want, but dance is constant. I am also interested in psychology and the mass media but I have time to decide,” she says. Apart from Bharatanatyam’s classic steps, her mind moves to the sound of the veena. She also likes to pass her spare time with music and her academic studies too.
