<p>Harshika Poonacha is on a high, and she knows it. Discovered at the tender age of 15, the actress has since taken the film fraternity by storm — with films like ‘PUC’ and ‘Jackie’ in her kitty, and another string of potential successes in the pipeline, she’s tasting success like never before. </p>.<p>Metrolife caught up with the cheerful actress to find out more about her projects and experiences in the industry. <br /><br />Acting, as well as the stardom that followed, happened entirely by accident, maintains Harshika. “I never thought I’d become an actor, so it came as a surprise to me when I got my first film. I did ‘PUC’ when I was just 15, and my second film was ‘Jackie’, where I was paired opposite Puneeth Rajkumar,” she says, adding, “I think that’s when my career started to grow. It was definitely quite a break for me.”<br /><br />Her venture into the film industry, however, didn’t mean that she neglected her education. “I wanted to finish my engineering course as well. I had to manage both — it was difficult, but I enjoyed doing it,” she says.<br /><br />Harshika’s second film, ‘Jackie’, catapulted her to an instant celebrity status, and the actress admits that she enjoyed every minute of it. “The movie had a big star cast, and even won two awards after it was released. The celebrity status was nice; till then, I’d just been a normal girl and then everyone started recognising me,” she explains. She adds that this new-found popularity also brought with it a sense of responsibility. “After winning awards, I’ve become more responsible. I know that whenever I come on screen, there are good producers and directors who are watching me. I want to be known not just as a glamourous actress, but also as a good performer,” she maintains.<br /><br />She has two more projects in the pipeline: Crazy Loka and Advaitha. In fact, in Crazy Loka, she’s pitched in by assisting director Kavitha Lankesh as well. “It’s been wonderful, and I’ve learnt a lot from her. I wanted to do something a bit more electrifying than just acting, so I asked her whether I could help out and she agreed,” explains Harshika. So does that mean we can expect a few more directorial ventures from her? “I think I’m still really young for that. A director is called the captain of the ship — he or she has to maintain the entire cast and crew, and it isn’t easy. But in the future, I might,” she says.<br /><br />Ask her what she spends time on when she isn’t in front of the camera, and she says, “I sit at home. I’m not a party girl, I think I prefer being at home. I listen to music and chill with my parents. Since I’m their only daughter, I’m very pampered — spoilt, but not a brat.” She admits, though, that it can be difficult making time for her family in between her busy schedule. “It can be tough, especially when I have two or three programmes in a day. But generally, either my mother or father accompanies me everywhere, so I don’t feel far from home,” she concludes. </p>
<p>Harshika Poonacha is on a high, and she knows it. Discovered at the tender age of 15, the actress has since taken the film fraternity by storm — with films like ‘PUC’ and ‘Jackie’ in her kitty, and another string of potential successes in the pipeline, she’s tasting success like never before. </p>.<p>Metrolife caught up with the cheerful actress to find out more about her projects and experiences in the industry. <br /><br />Acting, as well as the stardom that followed, happened entirely by accident, maintains Harshika. “I never thought I’d become an actor, so it came as a surprise to me when I got my first film. I did ‘PUC’ when I was just 15, and my second film was ‘Jackie’, where I was paired opposite Puneeth Rajkumar,” she says, adding, “I think that’s when my career started to grow. It was definitely quite a break for me.”<br /><br />Her venture into the film industry, however, didn’t mean that she neglected her education. “I wanted to finish my engineering course as well. I had to manage both — it was difficult, but I enjoyed doing it,” she says.<br /><br />Harshika’s second film, ‘Jackie’, catapulted her to an instant celebrity status, and the actress admits that she enjoyed every minute of it. “The movie had a big star cast, and even won two awards after it was released. The celebrity status was nice; till then, I’d just been a normal girl and then everyone started recognising me,” she explains. She adds that this new-found popularity also brought with it a sense of responsibility. “After winning awards, I’ve become more responsible. I know that whenever I come on screen, there are good producers and directors who are watching me. I want to be known not just as a glamourous actress, but also as a good performer,” she maintains.<br /><br />She has two more projects in the pipeline: Crazy Loka and Advaitha. In fact, in Crazy Loka, she’s pitched in by assisting director Kavitha Lankesh as well. “It’s been wonderful, and I’ve learnt a lot from her. I wanted to do something a bit more electrifying than just acting, so I asked her whether I could help out and she agreed,” explains Harshika. So does that mean we can expect a few more directorial ventures from her? “I think I’m still really young for that. A director is called the captain of the ship — he or she has to maintain the entire cast and crew, and it isn’t easy. But in the future, I might,” she says.<br /><br />Ask her what she spends time on when she isn’t in front of the camera, and she says, “I sit at home. I’m not a party girl, I think I prefer being at home. I listen to music and chill with my parents. Since I’m their only daughter, I’m very pampered — spoilt, but not a brat.” She admits, though, that it can be difficult making time for her family in between her busy schedule. “It can be tough, especially when I have two or three programmes in a day. But generally, either my mother or father accompanies me everywhere, so I don’t feel far from home,” she concludes. </p>
