Sampada Hulivana, who started her career on the small screen, is set to enter Sandalwood with the upcoming Nikhil Kumaraswamy’s Rider. “I was part of the serial, Mithuna Rashi, for just 10 months. I quit to pursue my studies, but then Rider happened. From my end, I thought it was a good move to make my mark on the big screen,” says Sampada.

Sampada will be seen in a prominent as the second lead and is happy to be sharing screen space with Nikhil in the Vijay Kumar Konda directorial that also stars Kashmira Pardesi. Sampada says, “I saw a lot of difference when compared to being on the sets of a serial. The atmosphere is a little different as we are also part of a bigger team. It felt good to work with technicians, who were used to being part of big films,” she says.

Sampada is also marking her Telugu debut with the Raj Tarun, Sandeep Madhav-starrer Mass Maharaju. “I am currently enjoying being an actor, and also juggling my interior designing studies,” says the young talent. Rider, which is set for a December 24 release, is bankrolled by Chandru Manoharan’s Lahari Films in association with Sunil Gowda’s Shivanandi Entertainments.