Harshika’s Malayalam debut has a Kannada connection

Harshika Poonacha after working in three south Indian film industies--Kannada, Tamil and Telugu--is now set to make her debut in Malayalam. The actor has quietly started shooting for the film, titled Charminar, and directed by Ajith Lokesh.

Harshika, we know is a big fan of Tamil actor Ajith, and has always wanted to work with him, so when we point out that she is making a debut with his namesake, she chuckles and says, “My Malayalam debut makes it a complete circle, and I have now worked in all four languages. I didn’t speak about it because I was waiting for work on it to start.”

Charminar is the story of a love triangle, and she is paired opposite two heroes--Hemanth Menon and Ashwin--in it. Harshika wears a different look for the film, a supermodel, who will initially be shown to be stylish, but very geeky. “The look test was done a couple of days ago. The shooting has just begun and will go on for a month,” she says.

Her character in this Malayalam film has a Kannada connection. The character will be presented with two facets--the supermodel and a simple girl from Bengaluru, who often speaks in Kannada. “This character needed a Kannada heroine and that’s why they chose me,” says Harshika, adding, “Every second line I have to deliver in the film is in Kannada. My opening line, too, is in Kannada and is about Modi’s Swacch Bharath.”

This Coorgi lass never has had trouble speaking Malayalam and is fluent in all south Indian languages. “I understand the film better because I can speak the language of that state,” she says. “I should thank Bengaluru because this is the place where we get to learn all languages.”

The film, produced by an NRI named Siraj, will be mostly shot in Kochi, with a few portions located in Bengaluru as well.