A few weeks back, when a film An Indian Love Story was screened at the Prasad Labs for a select gathering of producers, directors and the media, Pragati Yadhati who played a lead role in it, evoked several enquiries. A model, playwright and poet, the artiste from Anantapur acknowledges all the compliments but rues there are no offers for her from the film industry. “In New York where I studied, people never had a problem with the colour of my skin or age and offered me work. But I want to work in Telugu films! Here, I am told to dumb down or pick up anything that comes my way because that’s how one gets noticed. I went to meet a few directors but the response was disappointing. A lot of people go to the gym, work on their looks but I was focusing on my inner instrument. I was into rigorous training…I gave it a lot,” she says.
Pragati Yadhati
Pragati is a trained dancer who has has learnt everything from Bharatanatyam to Kathak, hip hop, belly dancing and other forms, ever since she was 14 years old. She recalls, “I laid a few plans to run away from home to Kalakshetra. But it didn’t happen, so I did a masters in computer engineering and while doing that, I got into theatre in New York. I took a break from internship and joined this acting school. Art can create awareness, move and change people and I believe that any form of art has the ability to make people feel how human every one is.”
Pragati went to the Lee Strasberg institute for a two year programme and also studied the Meisner technique tat technique which helped her break a lot of walls. “Society restricts us from telling the truth and acting is is living in imaginary circumstances; it is not lying at all, that’s what Meisner technique deals with. I did a lot of theatre in New York city and could make my both ends meet with the plays. Here unfortunately it is not happening. Maybe it has got something to do with me being a Telugu girl,” she remarks disappointedly.
Long after returning to India, Pragati was offered An Indian Love Story by screen writer KL Prasad. When he told her it was an erotic thriller, she was wary but when he mailed her the synopsis she went to meet him with an open mind. The writer and director had a small budget and an interesting story to narrate, so she lapped it up. About the character she played, Pragati elaborates, “She is someone who is mentally disturbed. She was attracted to the hero’s ideologies and philosophy and fell in love and married him. Later she finds that he had compromised. She feels helpless, she loved him a lot but can’t live with him because of this. On the other hand, her husband doesn’t want to live an impoverished life, didn't want to see her go through poverty. He wants to be practical but she doesn’t understand that. There are lot of layers to her character, it is complicated, heavy.”
On a final note Pragati says she believes she can do something strong in movies, even if it is in supporting roles. After all, cinema reaches more audience.
