Exclusive! I get to play out my royalty fantasies in Vishruth Naik’s Kaalanaagini: Harshika Poonacha

The actress, who is currently in Kashmir for a music video, will join the set of the Kannada film on October 21

Harshika Poonacha

Manjari actor-director Vishruth Naik is fresh off his next Kaada a project he finished in only 23 days recently. Even as post-production continues on the J Karthik and Kavya Shetty starrer, Vishruth has begun work on another project, Kaalanagini, which he had announced earlier and officially started on Vijayadashami.

As the title suggests, Kaalanaagini is the tale of a ‘naagini’ who can shapeshift and become human and certain events that happen to her. And Vishruth’s got Harshika Poonacha to play the title character. Harshika, of course, is thrilled with the subject. “I’ve always imagined myself to be royalty and like to be decked up in such finery; Kaalanaagini has me as the snake queen, who protects her subjects. She can also turn human, which will allow me to live out my fantasy onscreen,” laughs the actress, adding, “The narrative follows my character and how she ends up falling in love with a human, played by Manoj Puttur. The team has already begun shooting and I will be joining the set on October 21, as I am currently in Kashmir, where I was doing a music video.”

But isn’t the subject of Kaalanaagini outdated and, perhaps, more suited for the small screen where such fantasy still works? “Well, this was an apprehension I also had at first, but having read Vishruth’s script completely, I can tell you that if the film is executed correctly, it has some interesting and unexpected aspects to it. The success or failure of this subject will depend entirely on the presentation and computer graphics will play a major part in this,” says Harshika.

The Kashmir trip, adds the actress, is for an upcoming music video, which was planned for a Kannada song, “but since I do not lip sync, it can be used for versions of the song in other languages as well. Shooting here has been such a beautiful experience. The place is ethereal, but freezing cold, I am under at least five layers of blankets when I am not shooting,” she laughs.

Once back, Harshika is expected to join Kaalanaagini for a 20-day schedule, but she is also committed to a few Bhojpuri films, an industry where she has been making rapid inroads, after her debut feature, Hum Hain Raahi Pyaar Ke, opposite Pawan Singh. “The welcome that I have got in the Bhojpuri industry is nothing short of phenomenal and I have quite a few films lined up there. In fact, one of the teams is keen to start in the first week of November, but Kaalanaagini’s schedule won’t allow that. I am currently trying to work out my dates, so that I can do both films without hassles. I also need to wind up portions of my Kannada film Hagga for which one song and the climax is pending. There’s also Laya Kokila’s Thaytha that needs to be completed,” says the actress.

With so much happening, hasn’t Harshika thought of exploring the OTT space yet? “I am, most definitely interested in the OTT space, but it will have to be a Hindi project if you need to get the right amount of visibility. To be able to do that, I will need to shift to Mumbai, which is not an option for me at this point. I can commute to and from, but a more permanent shift is not on the cards now. Kannada cinema is still my priority and I am trying to do some meaningful cinema with good directors. I am not hung up about being part of only big productions; the scale of the project is immaterial if the subject and my role is good. That’s the focus right now. In fact, these days I have been working with a lot of new talent, which is also good, because they tend to bring in fresh ideas,” she says and adds, “See, at the end of the day, most films follow a routine; there are, say, about 10 stories, which is what gets recycled in various formats, either with done-to-death narratives, or with an attempt to do it differently. I am on the lookout for the latter.”

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