'Detective Teekshanaa' is the title of an upcoming action thriller starring 50-film-old actress Priyanka in the lead. For the unversed, she is the wife of Kannada superstar Upendra.
The multi-lingual actress says that her 50th film, a landmark outing for any artist, is going to be stunning. The film will be released in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Bengali apart from Kannada.
Directed by Trivikram Raghu, the soon-to-be-released movie is produced by Gutha Muni Prasanna and G Muni Venkat Charan.
Priyanka's character in the film reminds her of fictional names like Byomkesh Bakshi and Nancy Drew. The detective Teekshanaa reflects powerful, intelligent, brave women, the lead actress says. It is an action film and Priyanka knew that she must be physically prepared.
"We worked on how she should be, about her body language, little nuances, intricacies and details of the character," the actress says about analyzing the character Teekshana.
Besides slick action scenes, the film also has emotional scenes.
Not many know that Priyanka started out as a Bengali actress at the young age of 16 after becoming Miss Calcutta. Bred in the US and Singapore, she went on to act in Bengali, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Odiya films between 1999 and 2003. Tamil actors Vikram, Vijaykanth, and Prabhu Deva were among her early co-stars. After acting opposite Upendra, she fell in love with him.
After getting married to Upendra, she gave a pause to her career to think about her next moves. She had to take multiple factors into consideration. Fans' sentiments was one of them. "I had to consider whether they would accept me if I acted opposite other star heroes after my wedding. When I started again, I had to deal with all these aspects. It is now a very good time to be back with the OTT boom," she ponders.
After her wedding, she not only learned Kannada (thanks to her husband's love for Kannada literature) but also evolved emotionally after begetting children. By travelling extensively with her husband, she has learned a great deal about the culture of Karnakata.
What thoughts cross her mind while listening to a script? "When I listen to a script, I see whether I will enjoy it while watching it with my kids. It should be relevant to our times as well. I follow my gut feeling," she reveals.
For Priyanka, films are a huge platform and the immense love from fans adds to the pressure. "I want to do strong, message oriented roles. I prefer doing roles and films which inspire women and children. Many married women on social media say to me that watching me in powerful roles makes them feel powerful. I like that empathy and I would like to maintain that," she adds.
'Kartha Karma Kriya', 'Vishwaroopini Hulligemma', 'Khaimara' and a Bengali film titled 'Master Angshuman' are among her upcoming movies. 'The Virus', 'Kamarottu Checkpost 2', and 'Ugra Avatara' are also in her kitty.
Priyanka says that she is inspired by Sudha Murthy, Jacky Kennedy, and Mother Teresa.
