Don’t want audiences to just watch me, I want them to feel seen: Kamakshi Bhaskarla

Before Kamakshi Bhaskarla stepped in front of a camera, she was an MBBS student picking apart the anatomical flaws of mainstream cinema. “In hindsight, my medical training doubled as an unexpected crash course in method acting. The deep understanding of anatomy, psychology and human behaviour unexpectedly became one of my biggest strengths as a performer,” she notes. Yet, her proudest achievement isn’t her filmography — it’s the gamble she took to get here. “I had the guts to leave something comfortable and choose what truly fulfilled me. That choice is the biggest power anyone, especially women, can have,” she says. In a candid chat, the Hyderabad girl opens up about swapping medicine for the vulnerability of showbiz, and defying the conventional moulds of Telugu cinema.‘Theatre helped me understand myself before it taught me acting’Before films happened, Kamakshi’s world revolved around Kuchipudi, Carnatic music, books and medicine. While studying MBBS, she simultaneously explored theatre — something she says transformed her emotionally and creatively. “I was constantly trying to prove myself during my days as a beauty pagent winner,” she says, adding, “Theatre gave me the space to understand myself instead of constantly seeking validation." That phase, she says, changed how she viewed success. “I never entered films thinking I wanted to become a conventional heroine. I just wanted to play characters where audiences feel emotionally connected and seen.”‘Being empathetic and understanding human behaviour helps me never judge a character’Kamakshi believes her medical background gave her an unusual advantage as an actor — especially in emotionally and physically demanding scenes. “As doctors, we know exactly how the body reacts to pain or injury,” she says, adding, “When we watched films in college, my friends and I would giggle when someone moved or breathed unrealistically after getting injured.”Understanding anatomy, she explains, helped her bring realism to her performances. “We know which muscles stop functioning after certain injuries and how trauma affects movement. Even theatre actors study anatomy because the body carries emotion.” But acting, she says, “Is not just about understanding the body, it is also about understanding people. Being empathetic and understanding human behaviour helps me never judge a character,” adding,“That’s important if you want to perform honestly.”‘In Dacoit, Malli carried trauma into every frame’Speaking about her recent release Dacoit, Kamakshi says understanding Malli’s (her character) emotional journey was key to bringing authenticity to the character. “She carries trauma into every frame. Even when she’s silent, there’s emotional weight she’s hiding,” Kamakshi says. “One sequence involving attempted sexual abuse and a rescue scene proved especially exhausting. The emotional pain was already there mentally, and the physical action added to it,” she recalls. She credits Anurag Kashyap for helping her during emotionally difficult scenes. “He beautifully helped me land the emotions correctly while I helped him with Telugu lines,” she says, calling their interrogation sequences among her most memorable moments from the shoot.‘I have a fulfilling life beyond cinema’Away from film sets, Kamakshi describes herself as someone deeply drawn towards introspection and curiosity. A voracious reader, trekker, astronomy enthusiast and fitness enthusiast who enjoys taking on obstacle-course challenges, she says she consciously tries to build a life beyond the industry’s constant pressure of visibility and success. “People often only see the actor or doctor side of me,” she says. “But I paint, I travel, I work with NGOs and I spend a lot of time reading.” She particularly admires astronomer Carl Sagan, calling his worldview one of her biggest inspirations. “I’m happiest when I’m intellectually or creatively stimulated,” she says.— Sanjana Pulugurtha