Viyara Vruddhi has a clear idea about the kind of actor she wants to become, but her entry into Kannada cinema was not planned overnight. She was in the final year of her MBA when film opportunities started coming her way. Her first stint was with director Vikyath's Yours Sincerely Ram, starring Ganesh and Ramesh Aravind, which is currently under production. She is also looking forward to Kountheya, which could be her first release.

Directed by BK Chandrahas of Kumbharashi fame, Kountheya is an emotional crime thriller centred on a murder mystery. Produced by Suresh Kumar under Sri Mahankali Pictures, the film stars Achyuth Kumar as a retiring sub-inspector and Manoranjan Ravichandran in a negative-shaded role. Viyara is paired opposite Manoranjan, while Priyanka Thimmesh plays an ACP and Bigg Boss-fame Neethu appears as a police officer. Music director Raghavendra has composed two songs for the film.

Interestingly, Viyara comes from a family with a connection to cinema. Her father, Rajashekar C, produced the critically acclaimed Nam Areal Ond Dina. But when she decided to pursue acting, she chose not to rely on that connection.

“My father passed away five years ago, and I did not use any of his contacts to enter this field. In fact, nobody knows that my father produced Nam Areal Ond Dina until I tell them. I have decided to write my own first chapter in Kannada cinema,” she says. Viyara grew up around films and enjoyed visiting sets, but working on Yours Sincerely Ram gave her a closer look at what acting involved. “Working on the sets of Yours Sincerely Ram, I found the path I wanted to take. It was also a special experience because I got to work with Ganesh for the first time,” she says.

With discussions already on for her next films, Viyara has also been approached for projects in other languages, as well. However, for now, though, she wants to establish herself in Kannada cinema.

“Wherever I go and whichever film I do, I always want to be represented as a Kannada hudugi. Right now, I want to prove myself here. There are discussions about my next projects and I have hopes, but I want to take things one step at a time,” she says.

What draws Viyara to acting is the chance to experience lives that are very different from her own. “As an actor, I get to play different characters and experience lives that I may not experience in real life. I get to understand different people, their lifestyles and the way they think. Through these characters, I also get to see myself differently. That is what I like about acting. The next few films are about learning the craft, trying different characters and finding out what kind of actor I want to be," signs off Viyara.