A steadyascend

Skanda Ashok reveals he is in a happy state exploring varied roles in different languages

It was the Malayalam film industry that gave Skanda Ashok a break with Notebook . Later, it was the hit Kannada serial Radha Ramana that made him a household name. Now the actor has two reasons to celebrate – his recent release – Kanoorayana – which hit the screens earlier this month and his serial Radha Ramana, which has crossed the 350 episode mark on Colors Kannada.

Working with TS Nagabharana

The actor shares his excitement when he talks about

Kanoorayana , directed by TS Nagabharana. “I play a reformer, who goes to a village and tries to change it. The film advocates the concept that taking a loan is not bad if you are disciplined about returning the amount. This is what Veerendra Heggade’s

sanghas are propagating with the small groups they have started. The film shows success stories that have happened in these villages,” says the actor, who adds that working with Nagabharana “was a novel experience. I had a different notion about him and was apprehensive about working with him as he is a senior director. Veteran helmsmen are often particular about how we act. For a film like

Kanoorayana , the director would be particular about the dialect. While I worked with him on this film, I discovered that not only is he a cool director, but also one who is in sync with the current generation.”

Skanda adds that Nagabharana brought out the best in him and built a “cool working atmosphere”.

Right now he is busy shooting for Radhika Kumaraswamy’s

Bhairadevi . He is paired opposite Radhika, who plays a lecturer teaching paranormal science in a college. “My character is not only curious to study paranormal activities, but he also has a romantic interest in her,” reveals Skanda, who has garnered attention with his role in the Kannada thriller

U Turn and the Tamil film

Mupparimanam .

Screen presence

The length of a role does not matter to him. In U-Turn , he had a small but crucial role. “Screen time does not bother me at all. Right now, I am glad that my plate is full. Earlier I would do just one film and give it my best. Now, I have a busy schedule and am shuttling between projects and exploring varied roles. I am not insecure about screen time as long as I am confident my character is powerful and that I can pull it off.”

What about characters with grey shades? Would he be open to such roles too? He replies, “I do not want to venture into that as yet. I am happy portraying the roles I am getting. I am in a comfortable position where I connect to a family audience and want to keep it like that.”

Any new serials in the future? “No, it is just Radha Ramana as of now. I don’t think I will take on more serials as my passion lies in films. I accepted Radha Ramana as the team is brilliant and the role is great. Cinema is where my hearts lies. I can give it my 100%. I do not want to get monotonous doing the same thing over and over, but explore different characters in cinema. I am grateful to Radha Ramana , but would like to stick to where I started off from – that is films,” he states.