'I have even performed a stunt in B3 that any girl wouldn't try'

Harshika Poonacha, an upcoming Kannada actress, has had a good year.

The 23-year-old won the coveted best supporting actress award from the government of Karnataka for her performance in the film Thamassu, in which she played the role of an innocent Muslim girl.

From Coorg in Karnataka, Harshika, most unusually for an actress, is an engineering graduate.

Earlier this year, she floated an event management company with her cousin Bhuvan Poonana, that conducts fashion shows and fashion weeks.

It is a double-dhamaaka today (Friday, December 8) for the actress as two of her films, Advaita and B3, open simultaneously.

In this interview, Harshika Poonacha talks about the inevitable clash between her two movies at the box-office and her much talked about ‘bold’ act in B3, where she is cast opposite Sriki (Srikanth)..

How does it feel to see two of your films clashing at the box-office this Friday?

I guess destiny had a role to play. Everything has fallen into place at the right time.

I hope people like both the movies. This clash is certainly not in my hands and is beyond my control. 

How different are your roles in Advaita and B3?

In B3, I play a college girl who later goes to work. She is from a middle-class family and takes her own decisions.

In Advaita I play a diametrically opposite role— of an innocent girl who is daughter of a don. She is made to quit studies by her father who hates girls. The story is about how she gets out of the mess.

What can the audience expect from these movies?

Advaita is a thriller with a lot of entertaining elements. B3 is a love-cum-action thriller. It is not a normal film of an abnormal guy.

B3 is an amazing movie in which I am present throughout. I have even performed a stunt that any girl wouldn’t try. Advaita is a much softer and sober role.

How comfortable are you now when doing intimate scenes, with B3 showcasing you as a bare-all girl?

There is a lot of hype that has been created by the media about the intimate scenes in the movie.

All that I can say is that the movie is a cute scenario between the hero and the heroine. It is neither sensual nor intimate.

What do you have to say about your first on-screen kiss?

It is just a peck and not a kiss.

When the director insisted that it was necessary, I gave it a thought and agreed to do it. The director has shot the scene aesthetically.

Are you game to doing such scenes in other films?

Yes, I am game to doing intimate scenes. But, I will take care of the nuances and what the script demands.

I will not indiscriminately accept such roles without studying its importance.

In B3 I had a challenging role to play. Audiences will see a different Harshika in the movie. 

How does it feel to win the state award for the first time?

I feel honoured to be given the due recognition. I am hoping that this award will be just the beginning and I am sure that more recognition will follow.

What do you have to say about being at the centre of a controversy about your presence in the movie Ale earlier this year?

It is all over and I don’t want to bring that topic back. I was playing the main lead but another girl was signed without my knowledge even as she went to town about being the heroine.

I did not want to be taken for a ride or taken for granted and that is why I put my foot down and made myself clear.

People who saw the film realised that the other girl was nowhere in the movie and the makers understood that the whole ploy backfired on them.

What is the new venture you floated earlier this year all about? Is it a back-up to your career as an actress?

I have started an event management company, Glamgod Fashion & Events, along with my cousin Bhuvan. We go into every aspect of fashion.

We source models from other countries and we are into international model coordination in a big way.

When I am not shooting, we conduct fashion shows and fashion weeks besides a host of other fashion and entertainment events.

The company is running parallel to my career in films although films happened all of a sudden to me.

I love my profession as an actor and I have begun to enjoy my work. The event company keeps me going and busy when I am not facing the arc lights.

Which are the other projects that you are currently working on?

I am done with about 30 days of shooting my Telugu debut film, Pani Puri.

I am paired opposite Surya Teja and I am sharing screen space with actors like Naresh, who plays my father, and Suman, who plays Surya’s father.

The movie is a kind of rom-com in which I play a responsible girl from an upper middle-class family while the hero is a happy-go-lucky and lazy guy.