Agnyathavasi’s Paavana Gowda: I have reached a point where I will only do…

Paavana Gowda had a very promising start to her acting journey with 2013’s Gombegala Love, but in the years since, she’s managed to do only a dozen odd films. It’s a journey in which she’s had moments of self-doubt and even considered giving it all up. But over the years, she has realized that the true value of her craft lies in being associated with films in which her talent as an actor is tapped to its fullest extent.

The Jatta actress, whose last mainstream release was Gowli, is one of the main characters in Gultoo maker Janardhan Chikkanna’s next, Agnyathavasi, which has been produced by Hemanth M Rao. The film is a murder mystery that takes place in the late 90s Malnad, in a quaint village where major crimes were a thing of the past. The peace and quiet of the sleepy village is disturbed when a murder comes to light, which also reveals long-buried secrets.

*Agnyathavasi will head to Zee5 after its theatrical release, given that the network has picked up both satellite and digital rights. You will be able to watch Agnyathavasi on OTTplay Premium too after the theatrical run. 

Paavana Gowda on her career trajectory

Why is it that Paavana is not seen more often in mainstream cinema? “Once you have worked with a certain filmmaker on a quality project, you’ll only want to have more of that. In the last two years, I heard a lot of stories that just did not appeal to me; it came to a point at which I thought that it would be okay if my last release remains my last ever,” the Aatagara actress told Kannada Pichhar.

Paavana adds that if she were to only look at building a career, she would have to do all kinds of cinema, including those that do not sit well with her. Looking back at her filmography, she says that her choice of certain films has raised questions in her mind too about the quality of movies being made in Kannada. “Earlier, I had a survival instinct, but now, I have reached a point that I will do only good films, which appeal to me. If not, I will just not do it; it’s okay if I am not seen more onscreen often,” she adds.

The satisfaction that she got in playing the character in Agnyathavasi, she adds, is indescribable. If the trailer of the film is anything to go by, Paavana’s character Pankaja and the illicit relationship she has with Siddu Moolimani is central to the plot. “I can’t wait to see audiences experience the world that Janardhan has created,” she signs off.