Hariprriya, who is still basking in the success of Bell Bottom, is getting ready for her upcoming film, Soojidhara. “The tag line -- Mi mana poniso (the needle and thread that stitch the body and soul) -- represents the worth of a needle and thread. Like it is meant to stitch torn clothes, in life, every person needs a needle and thread to repair his/her life,” the actor explains.
Has she ever felt the need for a soojidhara at any point in her career? “Not really. I never thought I would become famous because I never dreamt of becoming an actor. It was only after working in two to three films that I developed a passion for the craft. I felt an affinity for this industry after I was noted for my role in Kallara Santhe. Later, with films like Pilla Zamindar in Telugu, Muran in Tamil and Thiruvambadi Thamban in Malayalam, I gained recognition across the South,” recalls Hariprriya, adding that it was Ugramm that brought her back to Kannada. “Since then, I’ve had a hit every year, including Neer Dose, Bharjari, Jai Simha (Telugu), and this year, I started with Bell Bottom.”
Calling Soojidhara, directed by Mounesh L Badiger, an 'experimental film', Hariprriya credits her interest in theatre for signing it. “I’ve come to like theatre, and my friends encouraged me to watch a few plays at Ravindra Kalakshetra. From what I have observed, artistes have a lot of energy from the start to end. Their involvement and memory is something else. I was thinking that at some point I should be part of a play, and then, this film came by. The director and artistes are from a theatre background, and Mounesh told me Soojidhara would be an experimental bridge cinema. And that sold me.”
The actor also adds that Soojidhara is a 'realistic film about finding identity'. “It was wonderful to work with Achyuth Kumar and Suchendra Prasad. I hope to create another kind of identity through this film.”
About the overall shooting experience, Hariprriya says, “I had to portray the struggles that a middle-class girl goes through. Expressions were very important. Unfortunately, I was running a high fever during some important scenes, but that also came in handy and helped me emote better.”