Remember Girish Kasaravalli’s film Naayi Neralu ? And, Pavithra Lokesh’s character of the widow, Venkatalakshmi? She won the Karnataka State Award in the Best Actress category for the film.
Sadly, even after such a powerful performance, this talented actor’s potential seemed to have gone unnoticed. Though she continued to act in many films, she switched to the small screen to take on roles with meaning. With mega serials such as Jeevanmukhi, Eshwari, Swabhimaana and Olave Namma Baduku , Pavithra became a household name. It was here that she was noticed by director Bhimaseni Srinivasa Rao and offered her first Telugu film, Dongusu . The Telugu film industry embraced the talented actor and there was no looking back. She started getting so many offers in Hyderabad and has acted in films such as Aalayam, Current Theega, Malli Malli Idi Rani Roju, Krishnashtami, MCA (Middle Class Abbayi) and Happy Wedding to name a few.
In Kannada films, she has shared the screen with actors such as Shivaraj Kumar in Janumada Jodi and Huccha with Sudeep. She has also worked with actors such as Satya Raj, Sai Dharam Tej, SP Balasubramanian and Shruti Hassan, among others for Telugu films.
The actor is in the news as she is again being wooed by the Kannada film industry. She is back on Kannada television with a mega serial Aramane Gili, for Star Suvarna. The show, which went on air on May 20, has Pavithra portray the character of an educationist — Meenakshiyamma. The serial is produced by K Gangadhar and directed by Nagesh Krishna.
It is not just on Star Suvarna that you will get to see her, but also in upcoming Kannada films Pogaru and Sadguna Sampanna Madhava 100% . Pogaru will be directed by Nanda Kishore and stars Dhruva Sarja and Rashmika Mandanna. Talking about Aramane Gili, Pavithra says, “The name means a bird caged in a palace, which in a way gives you the gist of the story. I play a rich woman who has politicians are under her hand. The story starts when a young girl comes into her life to care for her differently-abled son.”
The reason she agreed to act in this serial, Pavithra says, is “because it shows the woman in a positive light and not in a regressive manner. The character I play is strong and the manner in which she handles her career and family is what touched me.”
Pavithra said she is happy to return to the small screen after so many years. “So much has changed even in this medium. Technically they are at ease. Television has grown by leaps and bounds. Teams are more professional today.”
Talking about her roles in Poguru and Sadguna..., Pavithra says, “In both films I portray a strong woman. Pogaru will have a lot of humour in it.”
How does she choose her roles, and pat comes the reply “there is very less to choose, especially for women. Television, of course, offers you a choice, but in films, it is nil. If I get very choosy even in that little, then, I will have to sit at home. All I look for is the strength of the character, I get to depict on screen.”
Pavithra is equally thrilled to act on the large and small screen. “Personally, I don’t like discriminate between television and films. Both are the same for me and have given me whatever I wanted in terms of challenges, roles and recognition.” Pavithra will next be seen in the magnum opus, Kurukshetra, with Darshan. She plays the role of Subhadra.
Another film that she looks forward to is the Telugu film, Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy , where she will share the screen with Amitabh Bachchan, Sudeep and Nayantara.
Looking back, she says, her journey was not devoid of hardships. Being the daughter of the late actor Mysore Lokesh did not help her sail through either. “You can survive in this profession only if you have talent, no matter what background you come from. The other drawback was that I was taller than most heroines of my time. I was almost as tall as the heroes. So, most directors hesitated to cast me as the leading lady. Yet, I have no regrets. Was I not offered those kinds of roles, I would have faded sooner. Now I am at a stage where my past has helped me explore television. I got to portray varied characters and also learnt to survive.”
Will we ever see her in films like Naayi neralu ? “No such roles ever came my way again. The reason I don’t do many Kannada films is that I have not got good offers. People think I am busy there (Hyderabad). But if something good comes up here, I am willing to take it up.”
