'I owe everything to the Kannada film industry'

Born and raised in Kashmir, Aqsa Bhatt returned to her hometown disappointed after four years in Bengaluru as she was unable to make inroads in the film industry here. Just when she had given up hope, she was approached to star in a Kannada film, after which she has gone on to act in Tamil and Malayalam films. The actress spoke to BT about her upcoming movie Game and why she owes everything to the Kannada film industry.Excerpts…
From Kashmir to Bengaluru I came to Bengaluru for higher studies, and while here, I dabbled in modelling as a means to make some extra pocket money. I did well as a model and was featured in close to 200 print ads. I was always interested in movies and tried to become an actress, but it is very difficult to do that if you don’t have filmi connections. Disappointed, I went back to Kashmir. I wondered why God did this to me, but 2-3 days later, I got a call from (director) Ratnaja who offered me the lead role in his movie.
I watched my first film when I was 16 I was always interested in film line. In Kashmir, we don’t even have theatres, so I hadn’t watched a film till I was 16 years old. When I was studying here, I used to bunk classes and watch Kannada films. I found the movies very interesting, even though I didn’t understand the language. Everyone in my family is either an engineer or a doctor, but I was different. My interest in films is not limited to being an actress; I enjoy the entire filmmaking process. In my first movie, I used to assist on the set when I didn’t have scenes.
Bagging Game I have never auditioned for a role; even when I wanted to, I never got the chance. AMR Ramesh (the director of Game) approached me during the shoot of my debut film, and signed me on without an audition as he was confident that I could do justice to the role. He wanted a girl who looked North Indian, innocent and had shades of grey, which I think he found in me. I was a bit lost on the set since I was acting with established actors like Manisha Koirala and Arjun Sarja, but no one acted like a star on the set and everyone was supportive.
Cute and wild The film is about four characters, and there is no hero or heroine. All of them have negative and positive sides. I play a teenage girl, who falls in love with a married man. The rest of the psychological thriller is about how she takes her relationship forward. Each character does things according to their deeds, and while I am cute throughout the movie, my wild side is revealed at the end.
The role of Kannada film industry Although I didn’t know Kannada when I started out, I understand the language now. I owe everything to the Kannada industry, since if these films hadn’t happened to me, I would be sitting in Kashmir and would probably be getting married by next year. Where I come from, girls are married off at a young age, and since I had finished my degree, marriage was the next step. I am emotionally connected to the Kannada film industry, and because of my work here, I am now doing Tamil and Malayalam films and trying to make inroads in Bollywood as well. This industry has given me the confidence to do all that.