'Despite being a star, Puneeth Rajkumar is so down to earth’

She is not just the Premam girl, but the "curly-haired" Premam girl. That’s how Anupama Parameswaran describes herself. “It feels great to be remembered for my debut. Despite having a small role, it was impactful and boosted my career,” she says. 

After establishing herself in Tamil and Telugu, Anupama will now be making her debut in Kannada with Puneeth Rajkumar-starrer Natasaarvabhouma, a film made under Rockline Productions and directed by Pavan Wadeyar. “In every industry I stepped into, I got to work with big production houses, films with good stories and co-stars. It’s the same case with Natasaarvabhouma,” she says. 

Talking about why she chose Natasaarvabhouma to be her Kannada debut, Anupama says, "When Pavan narrated the story, I was hooked. I enjoyed shooting for this character too. The content of the film and my role appealed to me. Hopefully, the audience will feel the same too.”  

Despite the industry being completely new to her, she is confident that she will make a connection with the Kannada audience soon. “It reminded me of how I started with A Aa in Telugu. I was a complete stranger then. However, after two years, I know a lot of people there. It will be the same here too,” she says.

We ask her about her role in the film and Anupama gets cagey. “Sssh...I can’t reveal much about the character other than the fact that I am playing a lawyer. On February 7, when the film releases, everything will be known,” she says.

Her only regret is that she couldn’t dub in Kannada for Natasaarvabhouma. “When I step into a new industry, I have always made sure that I learn the language, and also dub in my voice. But somehow, it didn’t work in Kannada. I had around 15 days of shoot for Natasarvabhouma, during which I was also shuttling between other projects. There were time constraints and I didn’t want to ask the director whether I could dub. However, if I am offered another Kannada film, I will make sure I dub, and perfectly,” she says.  

For Natasaarvabhouma, she shot in Bengaluru and Kolkata. “Pavan and cinematographer Vaidy made sure I was very comfortable. I did have butterflies in the stomach on the first day, but then everything settled down,” says Anupama, who was awestruck by Puneeth’s simple nature. “Puneeth sir was an amazing co-star. I was inspired by his simplicity. Despite being a star, he’s so down to earth,” she adds. 

Anupama is on a well-deserved break after extensive shooting. “When I was juggling multiple projects, I would go home even if I got a day’s break. That helped me unplug and recharge. Cooking is a huge stress-buster,” says Anupama, who has a couple of films lined up, but is waiting for the official announcement.