I’m an actress by choice

Kamna Ranawat on working towards becoming an actor, bagging ‘Selfie Raja,’ and finding Telugu tricky

From the looks of it, actress Kamna Ranawat, who is making her cinematic debut with Allari Naresh-starrer ‘Selfie Raja’, was born to be an actress. “Extracurricular activities like singing and dancing have always been my forte. Since childhood, I was sure that I would want to be an actor. And on my journey to realising the dream, I dabbled in theatre in Mumbai,” recalls the Shimla born.

Narrating how she landed her maiden project, she shares, “A photographer once left me a message about Telugu filmmakers looking for a North girl. I immediately got in touch with the concerned person and expressed interest. He asked me for my pictures and within an hour of sending them, I got a call asking me to meet the director and producer of the film. By the time I met them, they had already shortlisted three names. But luckily for me, the director was kind enough to take my introduction. I was narrated the script the next day and after two days I auditioned for the role. Well, I am here today.”

One might assume that a Naresh film generally doesn’t have a lot of scope for the actress to perform. But she begs to differ, and points out, “My character Shwetha is a level-headed girl who is very close to her father in the film. She has anything and everything at her disposal but never wants to use the benefits or take advantage of her dad’s fame. She is quick with decisions and emotional. She falls in love with Raja (Naresh) after understating his human side and it she who drives the film.”

Admittedly, the actress, who comes from an army background, found Telugu to be tricky. “I like to learn languages. It’s always good to learn something new, right?” she states, “Yes, Telugu was difficult. If you don’t know the language, the chances of you improvising a scene are minimal but I’m working on my Telugu. Konchem konchem nerchukuntunna.”As the title indicates, ‘Selfie Raja’ is about a guy obsessed with selfies. Is she one in real life too? “I am obsessed with getting the perfect selfie but I’m never satisfied with the final output!” she beams, signing off.

By Nagaraj Goud