At a major turning-point in her life, after more than two decades of experience in systems, software, and solutions, Rekha Kudligi decided to explore an unfamiliar world. She felt it was the right time to make the big jump. She was an engineer and scientist by choice, but throughout her career, acting was a dream.
After long stints at Electronic Research and Development organisation and Honeywell Aerospace in Bengaluru, Rekha took the right steps to become a movie actor. In 2014, when she moved to Germany, Rekha pursued theatre and completed filmmaking courses, wrote, and made short films to bring herself closer to her big break.
Actor Rekha Kudligi.
| Photo Credit:
Ravichandran N.
She owes her growth as an actor to her mother Indumathi Ramamurthy, who introduced her to theatre with the Bengaluru-based theatre group MISFIT. Rekha fine-tuned her craft under the guidance of founder and theatre coach Ratan Takore Grant. It was through MISFIT she received her first audition call for Danish Sait’s satirical series Humble Politician Nograj (2022). Rekha jumped at the opportunity.
“I had to enact a scene where my character breaks down after my husband’s death. The person who auditioned me said he was so impressed by my performance that he had tears in his eyes. I got selected, and it all started from there,” she says.
Rekha thanks her family, including her husband Ravindra Bachalli, son Varun Bachalli and father Dr Ramamurthy Kudligi, for standing by her when she ventured into full-fledged acting. “Late bloomers like me need at least 10 years to get established. I had to choose this career at the earliest, and my family backed me to the hilt,” she says.
Rekha Kudligi in ‘Sakutumba Sametha’.
| Photo Credit:
Paramvah Studios/YouTube
After featuring in an advertisement for Zee Kannada, directed by Nithin Krishnamurthy (Hostel Hudugaru Bekagiddarefame), Rekha’s first prominent role arrived in Sakutumba Sametha, a heart-warming relationship drama produced by Rakshit Shetty and directed by debutant Rahul P K, and co-written by Pooja Sudhir.
Rekha plays a middle-class mother, juggling between her catering business and a vigourless relationship with her husband due to lack of communication. It is an affecting performance, as she makes you feel for her plight as a mother who runs the house and a wife missing an emotional connection with her husband.
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Compliments for her performance in the film assured Rekha that she belonged in cinema. “After a screening in Mysuru, a couple confessed to me that my story and performance were relatable. In their case, the husband worked in a different city, and they hardly stayed together for long periods. That affected the communication between them,” she recollects.
Prithvi Konanur’s festival hit and critically acclaimed Hadinelentu gave Rekha a tricky role that she aced convincingly. In the film, two teenagers stare at a worrying future after their sex tape gets leaked. Rekha, as the college teacher of the two, aces a character marked with grey shades.
She initially condemns the girl and argues for her dismissal from the university. However, slowly, she begins to feel sympathetic for the girl, perhaps aware of the discrimination and injustice faced by her due to the societal imbalance of power and money.
“Initially, she is a strict teacher who believes in conservative values. However, towards the end, when she realises that the girl’s life is on the line for no fault, the teacher becomes compassionate about her. I loved playing this intense character.” As we witness high tension in the last act, Rekha carries her role with an innate subtlety that is hard not to like.
Family Drama, a dark comedy, was a refreshing change for Rekha. Playing a middle-class mother aiming to eliminate a don for money, she delivers a hilarious performance without going overboard. “You shouldn’t stress too much about whether people will laugh. An actor’s job is to believe in the eccentricity of the character and surrender to it,” she opines.
Sindhu Sreenivasa Murthy, Abhay and Rekha Kudligi in ‘Family Drama’.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
In the Raj B Shetty-directorial Swathi Mutthina Male Haniye, Rekha stands out as an understanding mother despite having a minor role. Her emotional conversation with Siri, who plays her daughter, is one of the stronger scenes of the film. Rekha exhibits the right amount of poise needed for the character.
“I don’t worry about the size of the role. The credit goes to Raj for writing such a sensitive story. My scene with Siri is the turning point of the movie. She is in a loveless marriage and talks to her mother about being in love with another man. She wants her mother’s assurance about her feelings. It’s a deeply moving scene that resonated with people,” she offers.
She considers her role in Vidya Balan’s Do Aur Do Pyaar one of the biggest opportunities in her career so far. “I still pinch myself to realise it wasn’t a dream,” says Rekha, who plays Vidya Balan’s mother in the movie.
“We had reading and rehearsal sessions. My co-stars, Vidya Balan, Pratik Gandhi, and Thalaivasal Vijay, never made me feel like a beginner. We were like a family. Also, Pratik and I had a lot of things to share because he is also an engineer who pursued theatre before entering films. Vidya Balan was curious about my journey. She is such a progressive person!”
Rekha Kudligi with Vidya Balan on the sets of ‘Do Aur Do Pyaar’.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
A subtle actor with a knack for displaying the interior life of her characters, Rekha hopes to play different kinds of roles in the future. She admits that being a late bloomer doesn’t give her enough cushion to reject roles. “I need to take my chances, mainly because I like being on the sets and learning new things. That said, I have been mostly getting the roles of a mother or a grandmother, perhaps due to my age. I would want to play a lawyer, a cop, or a beggar. I am eager to be versatile,” she says.
Coming from a drastically environment from the industry, Rekha had a lot to unlearn in her new profession “In a corporate circuit, hierarchy is apparent. The focus is on individual goals. However, in the filmmaking process, being a team player is important. Ultimately, the synergy between the technicians and artistes matters,” she says. Having worked in other noteworthy Kannada films such as Maryade Prashne, Kenda,andChilli Chicken, Rekha hopes to be a sought-after actor for unique characters.
Published – January 22, 2025 12:35 pm IST
