Kruthika Jayakumar had no apprehensions about playing an older woman

Kruthika Jayakumar

is a Bengaluru girl, but the last and only time we saw her in

Kannada

film was in 2015 (Boxer). Although she’s done some Telugu films in the meantime, she took her time to pick her next Kannada film. Why? “Being born and brought up here, I am more careful with the Kannada films I pick,” Kruthika says. In a breezy chat, she tells us about her role in

Kavacha

, what she looks for in films and more…

You play a woman much older than yourself in Kavacha…
Yes, I play Revathy, who is a woman aged 35-40 years. Director GVR Vasu didn’t want to rely on makeup to make me look older — he wanted me to actually look the part. So, I had to put on 10-12 kgs. And this I had to do in a very short span on time. I had about 1.5 weeks before shooting began, during which time I put on around 8-10 kgs. I managed to do this by cutting out on exercise and eating non-stop. My body is such that I can put on and lose weight easily, so the challenge was to maintain continuity, but not keep putting on more weight.

So, what’s Revathy like?
She works in the same apartment complex as Shivarajkumar’s character. She cares for him a lot and is his main pillar of support. They are both mature characters and there is a silent undercurrent between them.

How did Kavacha happen to you?
Since the director is from Hyderabad, he had seen my work in Telugu films. He first asked me to watch the original (the

Malayalam

film

Oppam

) and tell him if I was ready to play the part. I am quite new to the film industry, so being presented with an opportunity like Kavacha was huge for me. A lot of people asked me why I would want to play someone much older than me this early on in my career, but how do you say no to working with Shivanna?

Why the long break in Sandalwood?
I consciously take slow decisions. I get a lot of offers, but I don’t want to do a movie just for the sake of it. I want each movie I do to have some value, and I want to be remembered for them. And I got that with Kavacha. Although I’m not on screen for a long time, I play a key role and add value to the film. Being born and brought up in Bengaluru, I am more careful with the Kannada films I pick.