‘Working with Pramod helped me elevate my performance'

Thejaswini Sharma, who began her career with content-oriented films like Flat No 9, and Mary, is now happy to be testing the waters with her first commercial outing, English Manja, which is set to release on April 21.

Directed by Aryaa Mahesh, the film stars Pramod alongside Thejaswini. “I started with women-centric cinema that revolved around my character. Having said that, English Manja is a commercial subject, which has a mass appeal, and also gives its heroine a space to perform.”

Being part of a commercial film comes with its advantages, and Thejaswini too understands the importance of starring in such projects. “I began my career with content-oriented subjects only to explore my acting skills. Working in English Manja, I got to realise that commercial films do have everything glorified, but even these mass entertainers require a certain standard of acting,” says the actor.

Thejaswini plays Kamli, an innocent yet brave girl, who enters into English Manja’s life, and shows him how love has the power to heal anything. “The impact of Kamli in Manja’s life is brought out in this action drama that is laced with love and friendship.”

Sharing her experience of working with actor Pramod and director Aryaa Mahesh, Thejaswini says, “Pramod is a fantastic actor, and sharing screen space with such a performer was important for me at this stage of my career. Pramod is very at ease with his work, and working with such a co-star is necessary since his presence helped me elevate my performance. Aryaa Mahesh is very disciplined, and his experience does the talking.”

Thejaswini is simultaneously working on a web series, Super Couple, which is in its third season. “I am enjoying both formats. Web series give more time to learn. A film has its own process, and it is nice to explore my skills,” says Thejaswini, who is looking forward to better projects coming her way.

Backed by David R, English Manja has cinematography by S Nagesh, music by BR Hemanth Kumar and lyrics written by Dr Nagendra Prasad and Simple Suni.