Samyukta Hornad loves to maintain suspense, especially when it comes to her roles. She reasons that her characters are usually placed in such a way that if disclosed, it ends up revealing the entire story.
She says it's the same case with her upcoming film, Traya. “I had completed shooting for this film a year ago. It is basically about a mishap faced by three boys, who set out to have a fun night. Traya is a suspense thriller, and according to the director, I am the surprise element in it.”
Samyukta feels she is currently in a good phase in her career as she is getting to play characters with both positive and negative shades. “My roles from Dayavitu Gaminisi to Arishadvarga and Mysore Masala have been diverse. I play a cop in the latter, and on the other end, I play a Naxalite in Nayeemi Diaries. My roles in Redrum and the Telugu project feature characters with both good and bad shades. A couple of directors who have been observing my work have felt that I am not following a predictable pattern. That gives me a kick.”
She goes on to talk about her journey forward. “I just want to be honest with what I am doing. I love exploring the guilt, hatred and darkness of characters. Not because I relate to it, but because I am curious about it. Somehow, I end up receiving such roles,” she says, adding, “The wrong moves in my career have been a blessing in disguise, and it has made way for different kinds of roles. Today, my approach towards the script has changed and I have learnt to say ‘no’ if I don’t like a story.”
She goes on to talk about her initial days in the industry, “I can never forget the day I was bullied in Mount Carmel College. This gave me the determination to become famous by entering the silver screen and teach a lesson to those girls. But my one year stay in Mumbai changed my life and career goals. I took a six-month course at a theatre space run by Manoj Bajpai and group, and I realised that I truly love being in front of the camera,” she says.
Interestingly, the actor is also an expert artist and she says she chose to pursue fine arts for a reason. "What I couldn’t do on silver screen, I painted it on the canvas. Though this art was accidental, I am being recognised as a good artist, and in fact, I've managed to sell 25 paintings of mine,” says Samyukta, who has two more new projects in the pipeline.