Nidhi Subbaiah
Harshika Poonacha, Nidhi Subbaiah, Prajwal Poovaiah and Deepika Kamaiah are not just the leading ladies of Sandalwood that are striding ahead of their contemporaries. Interestingly, a common link between the awesome foursome cannot be missed — the Coorg connection. With promising projects in their kitty and hits in the past, these beautiful lasses have their hands full right now.
The land of Kodagu or Coorg has given Sandalwood some fresh faces. Call it coincidence or sheer timing, these lovely ladies are making their way towards the top leagues in the industry. Nidhi Subbaiah, who was the industry hudugi, recently moved to Bollywood and will be making her debut with Jacky Bhagnani in the film Ajab Gazabb Love. “After Coorg actress Prema there was no one.
Then Nidhi (Subbaiah) and I entered the industry. I think other than Mangaloreans, Coorgs are known to be beautiful and that is one of the reasons for us to be here,” says actor Harshika Poonacha. “The other reason is that we Coorg girls are not afraid of stunts and shooting at risky locations. Whether dancing close to a creek or climbing hills, I prefer to do my dance sequences and don’t want a junior dancer to do it. I have heard producers say that Coorgs are a brave lot,” smiles the actor.
Not just films, television audiences too seem to favour Coorg beauties. Actor Swetha Changappa, has a cult following among women of Karnataka, as the popular host of Yariguntu Yarigilla, reality show. Her lead role in Arundhati too is much appreciated. “Television is a challenging medium. Every day we shoot for at least 10-15 scenes. I guess it is the will to put in continuous hours and still stay fresh and energetic that helps us make the cut,” says Swetha.
Harshika’s soon too be released Crazy Loka stars another Coorg actress, Daisy Bopanna. Daisy was a model before getting into acting. Director Kavita Lankesh who has seen Daisy grow in the industry says, “Coorg girls are blessed with looks and it works in their favour. Our audience is obsessed with fair skin and most of them are cast in films for looks and fairness. When it comes to acting, they are impulsive but on sets they are relaxed and are fun to work with.”
And another Coorg actress Deepika Kamaiah who’s first film was Chingari with Darshan, agrees, “I think it is a combination of hard work, ambition and the potential we have that has helped us climb the ladder of success. But above all, it is our family support. If not for their encouragement then I wouldn’t have been here.” Many of them are busy working on major projects. Prajwal Poovaiah was last seen in Bheema Thirdalli and is now working in four Tamil projects. A state level hockey player and a national level dancer on a reality show, Prajwal has a long way to go. “Hardwork, a bold attitude and progressive nature makes filmmakers choose us. People say we are beautiful women, I just take it as a compliment,” says Prajwal.
Meanwhile directors who have worked with them seemed impressed with their dedication and hardwork. “The ‘will do it’ attitude and approach to work matters a lot and that is one of the reasons for them to go a long way. Additionally, they are multi-talented too. While working on various film projects Harshika has even managed to complete her engineering, what do you say about that?” asks director Ghanshyam.
source: http://www.DeccanChronicle.com / Home> Tabloid> Bengaluru / DC, by Ayesha Tabassum / June 05th, 2012
