Doe-eyed Priyanka Arul Mohan is all excited that her debut film in Telugu releases in a few weeks. She remembers, even as a child, admiring film stars and toying with the idea of being one. But it remained just a thought as none in her family was remotely connected to the film industry. She shares, “I studied in Bengaluru and acted in a couple of plays to explore theatre as an alternate career. My parents understood and supported me.” Priyanka’s mother is a Kannadiga and father a Tamilian, so she is well-versed in Kannada and Tamil. As she has begun to read Telugu as she finds a lot of similarities between Kannada and Telugu.
A casual photoshoot led to her spotted by Mythri Movie Makers, the producers of Gang Leader . Having wrapped up that film, she is now waiting to finish the first schedule of Sreekaram which has Sharwanand in the lead. She recalls her first day on the sets of both films, “I was nervous on the first day of Gang Leader and two days later I was very comfortable, ditto with Sreekaram . The nervousness lasts only for two days. I guess the theatre experience helped me become confident to perform in front of hundreds of people. In Sreekaram , I am coming out of my comfort zone and internalizing that role. Debut director Kishore Reddy modified his earlier short film to make the full-length Sreekaram ”
In Gang Leader directed by Vikram Kumar, Priyanka is playing a homely girl who is supportive and independent. She shares, “We are not a family but we form a family. The two kids in the story are very sweet. We played on the sets. Nani is our Gang Leader and we are going to take revenge on someone who bothered us. Karthikeya is playing the villain who is very stubborn and ambitious. He is very excited about it and is being asked about his negative role wherever he goes.”
Priyanka’s debut in Tamil is with Sivakarthikeyan and is being directed by Nelson. She hasn’t done any films in Kannada and wants focus down South. “Let me stick to these two industries now. I am mingling with Malayali friends, hoping I get a film or two soon. It is nice to work in multiple languages.”
Finally, she remarks, “I still can’t believe I am acting in films, it was like a breeze signing three films at the same time. I am aware every Friday, the fate of an actress changes, the graph changes with each film. I want people to value me as an actress and earn respect.”
