Megha Shetty says it was the strength of the story that drew her to Gramaayaana. "Content is what brings me in," she says, explaining that director Devanuru Chandru's narration of Kusuma immediately gave her a clear sense of the character. "Since it is a real story, he had seen someone like Kusuma in his village and wanted to bring that through me."

For Megha, preparing for Kusuma meant going beyond memorising lines. Workshops, observing village life and spending time in the fields helped shape her performance. "I worked on the body language, style and expressions. The village atmosphere itself was exciting. I learnt a lot in the fields, even buffalo behaviour, and there were physical tasks involved."

She says living in that environment became an important part of the process. "Once you spend time there, you start living in that space. You observe people, their routines and their way of life, and it naturally reflects in the character."

Megha also credits her co-actors and the crew for making the experience memorable. "Every actor and technician gave me support. That helped me through this film and will continue to help me in my future work."