Kudla Ponnu Neha Shetty makes her Debut in ‘ Mungaru Male II’
Mangaluru: From Aishwarya Rai- an Actress who needs no introduction, Freida Pinto-the Actress who rose to fame through ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, Shilpa Shetty-the beautiful actress who started her Bollywood career through ‘Baazigar’, Shamitha Shetty, Sneha Ullal, Amrita Rao, Ester Noronha, Sonal Monteiro, Pooja Shetty, and many more who are the origins of Kudla have either starred in Bollywood, Sandalwood or Coastalwood – and now yet another Namma Kudla Ponnu a model turned actress has made her debut in Kannada film ‘Mungaru Male -II’ a sequel of original ‘Mungaru Male’, now screened at Cinepolis inside City Centre Mall since 9 September. Neha’s achievement at this young age is a big motivation for all budding talents from Namma Kudla.
Interacting with media persons during a brief press meet at the Cinepolis lounge, Neha Shety expressed her thoughts and feelings of her performance in Mungaru Male-II, where she said that her entry into a film for the first time was a learning experience, and acting with senior actor Navinchandra was truly a blessing and a great privilege. “It has been a childhood dream to become an actress. With support from my family members, I pursued my modelling career along with my studies. After I won Miss Mangaluru title in 2014, I was the first runner up in this year’s Miss South-India. I have been modelling even while I was preparing for my II PU exams. It was during this period, Shashank sir who noticed my photos after the events contacted me. Initially I was in two minds as my final II PU exams were approaching. Later, I approached him. I was a bit skeptical as I knew that many had auditioned for the role. However, I was asked to give the audition and few days later, I was told that I will be acting in Mungaru Male 2, and here I am playing the leading role in the movie” added Neha.
The Mangaluru-born and Bengaluru-bred brought actress is doing her B.CA (bachelor in computer application) in Bengaluru, apart from acting. . “My mother, Nimmy Shetty is a dentist and my father, Harish Shetty is a businessman. I have a younger sister who is studying in sixth standard. They have been a great support system for me. Though I am good at studies, there was no pressure for me to score 90 and above. They let me choose my profession. In fact, my parents would help while I was away modelling. They would approach the concerned teacher to help me prepare ahead of exams” said Neha.
Model turned actress, Neha who makes her debut with this sequel, is excited about her dream role in Mungaru Male-II. Neha who loves to tap her feet, has learnt dancing from MS Sreedhar, a fashion choreographer in town. “I have learnt to balance my work and studies, so when I am not on any assignment, I make sure that I spend a lot of time with my family. Though my little sister studies in sixth standard, she advises to be careful while I am at work. She and my parents are more excited about my debut than me,” she smiles. Neha said she was in her teens when she watched the original Mungaru Male, and she liked that movie a lot.
Neha says she will be seen portraying a character which is full of life, with lot of adventures. “Of course, there will be rain,” she adds. Though she has already been approached for few projects, she has decided to wait for a while after the success of ‘Mungaru Male II’. Already this movie has broken all the records of Kannada film industry, which grossed Rs15 crores on its first three days. Neha is also the first cousin of twin sisters, Adhvitha and Ashvitha, who are models and Coastalwood actresses.
Sources reveal that after an extensive search, director Shashank zeroed in on new face Neha Shetty to romance Golden Star Ganesh in Mungaru Male 2. The movie is a sequel to the blockbuster ‘Mungaru Male’ (2006), which has been directed by Yogaraj Bhat. G Gangadhar is the producer of the movie under the banner of E K Pictures. Initially, Shashank tried to rope in top actresses, but as none of them agreed to work with Ganesh because of the poor performance of his movies, the director was forced to cast a new girl. Mungaru Male was a landmark movie in the history of Kannada films because it brought to fore director Yogaraj Bhat, actors Ganesh and Pooja Gandhi. Though the sequel was supposed to be directed by Bhat, creative differences cropped up between him and Ganesh prompting Shashank to take up the project.
Sharmila Kapikad, wife of Tulu actor Devdas Kapikad and Keerthan Shetty-Manager of Cinepolis felicitated Neha with bouquet of flowers and a memento. Suhan Alva compered the press meet.
Look forward for an exclusive interview with Neha Shetty next week in Mangalorean.com