I am not competing with my sister: Anusha Ranganath

Anusha Ranganath got initial recognition through a teleserial, Gokuladalli Seethe. Having made her transition to the silver screen with The Great Story of Soda Buddi, the actor now looks forward to her next release, Andavaada. The long-pending film, directed by Chala and starring Kiran Jai in the lead role, will finally hit screens this week.

Anusha, who is busy shooting for her upcoming film, 10, in which she is paired opposite Vinay Rajkumar, admits to being less recognised for her films than the serial. “I am an introvert and so I like it this way. I am the kind of a person who usually doesn’t expect attention. I am content in the space that I am in,” she says.

Andavaada, according to the actor, is a “beautiful” love story in which she plays the role of a habitual liar. “This film takes me to a different world where I am thinking about aliens and space. There is humour blended into my character, and it sometimes borders on being silly. The lying is the key point in my role and the film,” she says about the romantic entertainer that was mostly shot in the rainy season in Sakleshpur and Chikmagalur. “One song took us to the Andamans,” she adds.

Comparisons are inevitable when two people from the same family choose to work in the same field, and Anusha too is often compared to her young sister, Ashika Ranganath, who has come to be known as the Chuttu Chuttu girl of Kannada cinema after Raambo 2.

“In any conversation with anyone my sister’s name invariably creeps in, and I am happy to talk about her too. People tell me that I look like her,” says Anusha, adding, “Though we are not different, the acceptance from the film fraternity varies. She has been received differently than me.”  

Asked if she considers her sister as a competitor or a hurdle to her career growth since she entered the industry later, Anusha responds, “Not at all. First of all, I have to be in the race to compete with my sister, or with any actor. Ashika is getting to do good work, and she deserves it. As for me, I enjoy my space in the industry.”  

When we point out that Ashika tends to play more glamourous roles, Anusha attributes this to the kind of offers she gets. “We have a similar taste in films. However, I haven’t come across any glamorous role that fits me. No one has pitched such kind of roles either. There is a beautiful side to glamour, but it should come with a certain weight,” says the actor, who switched to cinema since she found playing one character in the long-running serial monotonous.

“Three films are not enough to make a judgement about me. I am waiting for good opportunities, and hopefully, with my forthcoming films, I will be able to steal more hearts,” she concludes.