Vizianagaram-based child prodigy Mudunuru Jahnavi hogged the limelight when she donned the role of heroine Chandini Chowdary’s sister in Kundanapu Bomma last year.
Though her debut movie gave her a limited screen space, she was quick enough to grab a lead role in K.N.T. Sastry’s message-oriented flick Shaanu-The Optimist that focused on how she fights against odds to take part in the district-level kho-kho tournament . She was thrilled to be part of the inaugural ceremony of the three-day National Children’s Film Festival organised by the Children’s Film Society India wherein Shaanu-The Optimist was screened.
Emoting effortlessly
In an exclusive interview with The Hindu , Jahnavi says she is comfortable in front of the camera, emoting effortlessly and would continue acting as long as her academic life remains unaffected.
A Class VI student of the Vignan Bharathi High School, Vizianagaram, the 10-year-old child artiste has no formal training in acting. “But I try to emote on the spot when the director explains a particular scene,” says Jahnavi.
A scene in Shaanu-The Optimist required her to become emotional. “I was actually missing my dad for 20 consecutive days while shooting. So when the director explained the emotional scene to me, it took me only a few seconds to relate to the situation and cry without glycerine,” she recollects.
The child artiste’s parents – M. Satya Narayana Raju and Latha say Jahnavi used to imitate commercials on television channels and that was the first step to identify her acting skills. On striking a balance between studies and films, Jahnavi says her school grants her extended leave to wrap up shooting schedules and she scores the third position in her class. “Focusing on studies was never a problem. My parents and teachers are quite supportive and I am a good listener,” says Jahnavi who aspires to pursue MCA.
Jahnavi, who is fond of Sai Dharam Tej and Samantha, is excited about her forthcoming horror movie ‘Poothanapuram’. “In addition to this, I am also playing a role in Jagapathi Babu’s upcoming action-thriller Patel S.I.R. and another untitled project with Ganta Ravi Teja,” she sums up.