In the middle of our conversation, Shwetha Srivatsav has to attend to her daughter Ashmitha Srivatsav. She returns quickly to talk more about the second phase of her career. The Kannada actor, a proud mother of the four-year-old, seems to have found a balance between work and motherhood.
After she burst onto the scene with ‘Simple Aag Ond Love Story (2013), Shwetha’s career has witnessed a stop-start pattern. With her deep voice and natural dialogue delivery, Shwetha’s performance in ‘Simple Aag…’ was refreshing.
The lanky actor gives the impression of a powerful personality on screen. Her intense and mature portrayal of a sex worker in ‘Fairy & Lovely’ (2014) was impressive. She was the best of the ensemble as a fiery village woman in ‘Kiragoorina Gayyaligalu’ (2016).
Despite each of her films making a mark, Shwetha’s small body of her work is quite strange. The 35-year-old is brimming with the confidence of her comeback, which is keeping her busy with a flurry of projects. The biggest of all is ‘Raghavendra Stores’, directed by Santhosh Ananddram ('Mr and 'Mrs Ramachari' and 'Raajakumara') and produced by ‘KGF’ fame Hombale Films. The actor speaks to Showtime about her career so far.
Excerpts:
Why didn’t your early success lead to more projects?
As odd as it may sound, after every project, I felt the industry wasn’t for me. Perhaps, the charm of films makes us build a perfect and imaginary world in our heads. The reality was different. I faced bitter truths. Fortunately for me, all my films stood out. Despite that, I had to constantly fight the disappointment of not getting the roles I wanted.
Did you have to turn down offers? If so, what made you picky?
For some reason, the industry wanted to slot me in ‘bold’ roles after ‘Simple Aag…’. But, the directors lacked clarity. Why should you associate double-meaning dialogues with boldness? My character worked well in ‘Simple Aag…’ but that doesn’t mean you have to write similar roles. After ‘Fair & Lovely’, I got many roles of a prostitute while post ‘Kiragoorina Gayyaligalu’, filmmakers wanted to explore the village woman character with me. I didn't want to repeat my roles.
Now that you are back facing the camera, have you tried to analyse your first phase?
I consciously chased unique roles. The process saw me reject films of big stars. In the film industry, it’s important to have strong connections. The constant hunt for opportunities, especially for newcomers, is inevitable and challenging. You are expected to have an active public life whereas I preferred a quiet and private one. Yet, it makes me wonder why the makers don’t acknowledge performances and recognize talent? I stood my ground. That might have intimidated people. In hindsight, I don’t know if what I did was right. However, the struggle is real. It can either make or break you.
What are the roles you wish to do in the age of overflowing content?
I want to do all kinds of roles. Just because I am a mother doesn’t mean I can’t sing or dance. It wanted to extend my family. After the break, I was sure I wanted to feature only in lead roles. I play a KAS officer in ‘Hope’, a political thriller. The film shows the plight of honest female administrative officers. Then there is ‘Raghavendra Stores’ with Jaggesh. I can’t reveal much about it. I will be starring as a lead in three more films.
You are a localite with versatility. Isn’t that a great combination for performance-oriented roles?
It is. The media, which calls me the Konkana Sen Sharma or Tabu of Sandalwood, seems to have understood my potential. The industry really needs story writers, filmmakers, and producers to make movies for women to shine. We are having pan-India ambitions. Along with that, we must also focus on offering diverse roles to female actors.