Shanvi Srivastava on Avane Srimannarayana: Rakshit Shetty has made me more passionate about cinema

The actor talks about the importance of her character Lakshmi in the film, how working on it has changed her, and more
Shanvi Srivastava on Avane Srimannarayana: Rakshit Shetty has made me more passionate about cinema

With Avane Srimannaryana nearing release, Shanvi Srivastava says she is experiencing the maximum level of excitement thanks to the whole halla gulla for the film. “I don’t remember the last time I had these mixed feelings of happiness and nervousness. It is the best time, not just for me, but for the entire team that has put in hard work for months. This project let me collaborate with some amazing people,” she says.

Lakshmi, says Shanvi, is as important as Narayana in Avane Srimannarayana. According to her, they are both characters without whom the story cannot move forward. “The mystery will not be a mystery without Lakshmi, and that’s how my character will make a difference in Avane Srimannarayana.  I don’t know how much screen space Lakshmi, a reporter, will get in the film. But I do know that the story revolves around my character,” says Shanvi. The actor adds that for her, the name Lakshmi does not stand just for money, but also for “honesty, passion and hard work.”

Ask her what Avane Srimannarayana demanded from her as an actor, and she replies that all that the makers wanted from her was to walk, talk, and behave like Lakshmi, without any trace of Shanvi Srivastava, on or off the screen. “Lakshmi, a character I carried for almost one-and-a-half years, has changed me, and I feel I am a different person now. In the process, I imbibed a lot of characteristics of Lakshmi, which will be visible on the screen,” says Shanvi. “Emoting less or in a controlled way, and not going even slightly overboard with the expressions, was the toughest part of playing Lakshmi,” she tells Cinema Express.

Avane Srimannarayana will be her biggest release so far, and according to the actor, it is a world-class film which, if the Kannada audience accepts it, will take the industry to another level. “It all depends on the people of Karnataka, who can move the attention of the entire Indian audience towards this film. If they welcome this film, then it is going to certainly spread across other languages too,” she says.

Her experience working in Avane Srimannarayana, has made quite an impact on Shanvi. “Rakshit told a story about two of his friends, and how they ignited his passion for cinema. Likewise, Rakshit alone has become the reason for me to become more passionate about cinema. Working with Rakshit, director Sachin Ravi, and producer Pushkar Mallikarjunaiah has helped me learn how to love my work, regardless of what people say. The whole experience was amazing, comfortable, and inspiring.”  

About her future projects, Shanvi says, “I have no clue, and I am also tense as to how I go about considering my future films. I am not a creator or writer, and neither can I act, direct or produce a film like Rakshit Shetty. All I can try is to connect with good scripts.”

Related Stories

No stories found.
Cinema Express
www.cinemaexpress.com