Kannada cinema needs more technicians like Badava Rascal’s Preetha Jayaraman: Amrutha Iyengar

Amrutha Iyengar is quite excited about her release this week – Badava Rascal. The film, which is lead actor Dhananjaya’s debut production, is Amrutha’s first full-fledged commercial entertainer, on the set of which she and cinematographer Preetha were the only two ladies. Ahead of the film’s theatrical release on December 24, Amrutha spoke to the media about her role, working with Dhananjaya and more…

“I play the daughter of a local politician, from a well-to-do family. The narrative follows my love story with Dhananjaya’s character. This is my second film with Dhananjaya, after Popcorn Monkey Tiger. I was his fan earlier too, especially after Tagaru and now, having down two films with him, I think he is like an institution – always sharing his experiences and making it a learning experience for his co-stars,” says Amrutha.

Even though the set of Badava Rascal was quite male dominated, Amrutha says that working on the film and being with the team was fun, so much so that she would often report for work even if she didn’t have any scenes for the day. “Director Shankar would sometimes shoot bits with me, since I was around, but I had no complaints even if I didn’t have to shoot,” she says.

Interestingly, Amrutha didn’t take a fancy to cinematographer Preetha Jayaraman at first. “It almost felt like a cold war between us, because every time I would step in to shoot a scene, she would send me back to wash my face, stating that I had makeup on. There were times when I had to actually whip out a tissue paper and wipe my face in front of her to convince her that I wasn’t wearing any makeup. While I admit I wasn’t too happy about that initially and wondered why she wouldn’t let me wear makeup, now, when I see the final product, I understand. Everyone looks so good and natural on screen,” says Amrutha, adding that the need of the hour is for more technicians like her in Kannada cinema.

On a parting note, Amrutha says that the film is special to her because it is her first solo heroine project. “I have been waiting for the release of this film for a year and I am very proud to be a part of my first-ever commercial flick. This is a film that absolutely has to be seen in a theatre, and I am thankful to Dhananjaya that he did not take up any offer to release it directly on OTT,” she signs off.