I want Tagaru to be a game changer: Manvitha Harish

While Kendasampige directed by Suri brought Manvitha Harish into the limelight, Tagaru only raises the bar for the actor. As the film is set to release this week, she has pinned high hopes on the film. “I want Tagaru to be a game changer and to give me a good place in the industry. Kendasampige brought me into the limelight, and I want this film to raise the bar,” she says.

“When you think of Tagaru, the only person who comes in mind is Shivanna,” she says. “I don’t think anybody else but him would have been apt to play the character.”

Being paired with an actor of his calibre, and having worked with the wide range of artists and technicians, she considers this film to be a learning platform. “I've always dreamt of working with various actors in the Kannada industry, and this one dream has come true,” says Manvitha, who never sought an explanation from director Suri for casting her. “He cast me opposite Shivarajkumar in the film after taking my character's requirement into consideration. I was finalised after my audition. Shivanna always said, there should be good reciprocation between actors. The energy and positive vibes are what results in good acting. We have complemented each other in our scenes,” she says.

Manvitha discloses that, despite of age gap between them, Shivanna and she shared a good rapport, and that, she believes, is what helped them bring out that chemistry onscreen. “I was myself and didn’t pretend. I never tried to impress him, which he has always liked. I used to address him as ‘Don’ on the sets because I call him by that name onscreen. I built a good rapport with him, because if I was afraid, I am sure it would've showed onscreen. Today, people who see us onscreen feel that we have been friends for 20 years. That comfort we shared off-screen is what helped achieve that.”

Manvitha says that her character, Punarvasu, is an integral part of Tagaru. “Punarvasu is this free spirited girl, who is full of life, unlike the rest of the characters who come out to be very serious. I am the lighter side of the film, that people can relate to. What I couldn’t do in my previous four films, I have done it all in this one film - dance-wise, performance-wise, looks-wise, and character-wise. I suddenly feel that I am 10-films old,” she says.

Suri has created a new genre with Tagaru, says Manvitha , who defines it as a musical-romantic-crime thriller. “The entire movie is like a poem with nine songs. The film mostly runs on the re-recording and music, and scenes expressed with silence. Moreover, this film is not about just the hero or heroine, it is more about their characters. Every role is strong and nobody can be categorised,” she adds.

The actor says she was happy to share screen space with Bhavana. “This film allowed me to meet another amazing person. She should get the best on earth,” says Manvitha who found her co-star to be pure hearted with no ill-intention towards anyone. “One should learn professionalism from her,” she adds.