Actor Harshika Poonacha began her career at the age of 15 in the Kannada film industry. She has acted in all the Southern language industries. Harshika is remembered for her memorable performances ‘Jackie’ with Puneeth Rajkumar, ‘Thamassu’ with Shivarajkumar and Yash, ‘Advaitha’ with Ajai Rao and ‘Crazyloka’ with V Ravichandran in Kannada. She has also worked on a few projects in Telugu and Tamil languages. She won the State Award for ‘Best Actress’ for ‘Thamassu’. She has also made an appearance in ‘Big Boss’ with actor Sudeep and ‘Super Minute’ with actor Ganesh. Harshika will soon be seen playing interesting roles in ‘Chitte’ in Kannada and ‘Charminar’ in Malayalam.

“I usually never get a weekend all to myself but whenever I do, I make the best of it. My tight work schedule makes it impossible for me to indulge in things that I enjoy doing, so weekends give me a chance to take a break from the routine and spend time with my family and friends. I make sure that I don’t rush through the weekend and take time to enjoy whatever I am doing.

I am a huge movie buff. There have been weekends when I have watched at least four movies in a day. I have learnt a lot about acting and the art of making films just by watching movies. There are a few actors whose style and work is worth emulating. I admire Urmila Matondkar for her ‘oomph factor’ and I have even made videos of her songs. I also enjoy watching the movies of Madhuri Dixit Nene and Kareena Kapoor Khan.

Weekends are the time I slip into a lazy mode. Some of my Saturdays start with an early morning run and a round of swimming at a club. This sets the tone for an eventful weekend.

I try to pack in a lot of variety into my weekends. I enjoy doing up the interiors of my home and adding colour to every corner. I shop for home decor and sometimes change the cover of the couch and the wall paint as well. I do this to overcome the monotony of being in familiar surroundings.

I love automobiles. I picked up a passion for bikes and cars from my father. I still cherish the days when I was taken on short rides by my father and I would be so eager to hold the handle of the bike and steer it. My father too wouldn’t hesitate to let me hold it. I now own a bike and I ride it occasionally.

Cooking is another favourite pastime during the weekend. I don’t mean to praise myself but I am a good cook and an experimental one at that. I make ‘Mutton biryani’ and ‘Ghee rice’ with ‘Chicken curry’, mutton and liver preparations in Coorgi style. In the sweets category, I make ‘Mysore Pak’, ‘Holige’, ‘Kaju Barfi’ and ‘Gulab jamuns’. I don’t believe in going by the recipe book but do my own research for some interesting recipes. My mother and aunt have helped me develop an interest in cooking.

I am not a party person and have a handful of close friends. I hang out a lot with Reshma Kunhi. She’s my best friend and I enjoy spending time with her. My friends and I usually go out for movies and wrap up our outings with a dinner. And if we are in a mood for some desserts, then we head straight to J W Marriott. They have the finest of midnight desserts.

I try to make time for all the things that I love doing on weekends because it makes me feel happy and stay positive.”

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Supplements> Metrolife / by Nina C. George / DH News Service / December 07th, 2017