Sharmiela Mandre: I was destined to do Gaalipata 2 

Sharmiela Mandre, who was last seen in Aake has a lineup of films in different stages of production. However, none of them has hit the screens yet. “Finally all my films will be out this year and it begins with Gaalipata 2, followed by Dasara and Mandela. All of them are arriving in one go,” she says.

She feels that her being part of Gaalipata 2 is divine intervention. “Working in a Yogaraj Bhat film is a milestone in my career. I joined the industry in 2008 and I had to wait for 14 long years for this. All good things take time, and I’m glad to have got this chance,” says Sharmiela, adding, “I had initially got an opportunity to work in the director’s previous film Gaalipata, but got cancelled due to a date clash. So it was destined to happen in Gaalipata 2. Though the film went through a change in the cast, the director didn’t change us. In retrospect, I think it is a good thing that I am a part of this project.”

The film comes with an ensemble cast including Ganesh, Diganth Manchale, Vaibhavi Shandilya, Samyuktha Menon, Sharmiela Mandre and Pawan Kumar. The latter two as a pair and the song have created the right kind of buzz for the film. About working with Pawan, she says, “Pawan and I look like a conventional pair if we were made to look usual. But I play a teacher and he is my student. I’m younger than Pawan in real life and it was a challenge to make him look younger. He went through rigorous workouts and lost many kilos to look like my student. He made sure that he looked convincing.”
About Yogaraj Bhat’s working style, she says, “Even though there are a lot of characters, the director has made sure that every character fits the bill. One thing I like about Yogaraj Bhat is that he doesn’t let the heroines reduce to good-looking dolls. He adds a lot of value to their roles.”

She adds that Gaalipata 2 was a well-organised project because of producer Ramesh Reddy and director Yogaraj Bhat. “Yogaraj Bhat is the ‘captain of the ship’ in a true sense and takes his role very seriously. He is the person holding the team together, and makes sure the whole shooting happens smoothly,” he says.

‘Pawan Kumar and I are in talks for a project’

Sharmiela’s career as an actor is not as busy as it was because of her production responsibilities, and Dasara will be her first production venture in Kannada. “As an actor, I have to just act on the sets. I believe that as a producer, I need to put my heart and soul into a film. I do have plans to produce some good subjects, and three films are in the final round of discussion,” she says.

The actor-producer also hinted at teaming up with director Pawan Kumar. “We think alike and I feel he has great sensibilities as a director. We are in talks for a collaboration, it is on the cards. The project details will be revealed soon,” she signs off.