Exclusive! I've no problem doing a role that's sexual, but there has to be a logic to it: Urvashi HV

Theatre artiste and now film actor too, Urvashi HV has a certain easy-going charm about them, which is also why speaking to them is quite the fun experience. Urvashi, a known name in Bengaluru’s theatre fraternity, owing to their association with Jagriti Theatre, for instance, recently made the progression from supporting character to lead actor with the Kannada film Amruth Apartments and will next be seen in Essentials.

The sheer number of engineers who have turned to showbiz, either in front or behind the camera, is truly astounding, especially in Kannada cinema, and Urvashi is also part of that ever-expanding list. Much before their showbiz dreams took wing, Urvashi was a software engineer, and that too with a degree from the USA, where they worked for a few years as well. “I was quite stifled by the work culture there, so, I came back to India and worked here, but by 2017 I gave it up to pursue the arts, which is something I am passionate about. At the time, I’d given myself a year to see how I’d fare, which became another, and another; it’s been five years now. My parents also initially thought it was just a phase and that I would grow out of it and return to a regular job, but over time, they came to accept my choice, especially my mother, who is my pillar of support. I started out with theatre, doing the Girish Karnad play Yayati, directed by Arundhati Raja, which was like a bootcamp for me, because she is quite rigorous and procedural with her work and how she does rehearsal. This really helped me jumpstart into this line. But it was my friend and theatre actor Mohan Ram who helped me get in touch with some casting agents and got me into doing commercials,” they say.

Amid these pursuits, Urvashi then got to do small roles in a couple of Kannada films. “I had one scene as a journalist in Natasarvabhowma and two scenes in Aadi Lakshmi Purana, as Radhika Pandit’s friend. Then Amruth Apartments happened, because one of the ADs on the film, Mahesh, cast me through the theatre network. This was my first feature film with a significant part. It was quite challenging for me, because my character had to speak a mix of Hindi, English and Kannada, which made it a wee bit difficult to get in the flow and stay in it. It was my first time shooting for multiple schedules, which was quite the learning experience. This was a crash-course in acting for films and I relied heavily on Mahesh and my co-star Tarak (Ponnappa), both of who were helpful with my doubts on set,” says Urvashi.

Although Amruth Apartments released in theatres only a couple of weeks ago, it is a film that was ready prior to the pandemic. “So, after Amruth Apartments, I did an independent film called Triple Whammy, an action thriller which is on Neestream and was entirely shot in English. Directed by Anish Chacko, this was shot it in chronological order, which was different from my debut film, and had Sanjay Manaktala, Tarak on the cast. My most recent film is Essentials, by Praveen Whitefield, which is currently doing the rounds of a few film festivals. I play a high-end escort in the film. I am willing to do that kind of role because there is a clear logic in the character’s mind behind why she’s chosen this career, why things are shown a certain way, etc. I had a lot of conversations with Praveen and he was open to the suggestions I had about my limitations in shooting some scenes. I have no problem playing a character who is very sexual, but I will not do random titillating stuff. And that about sums up my film career so far,” they laugh.

Perhaps because of their urban Bengaluru upbringing, Urvashi admits that they are far more proficient in English than Kannada or even Hindi. “I have lost out on roles because my accent comes across as not a native speaker, but I am working on it. My character from Amruth Apartments, for that matter, happened because she didn’t have to sound Kannadiga. I am actually rehearsing for a Hindi play right now, which will hopefully improve my comfort and skill with the language. Hindi has more options in terms of the work that I would like to be a part of, so I have been focusing on that and got myself a language coach,” they wind up.