Ghanta Mounika
| Photo Credit: Special arrangement
There’s hardly any similarity between Ghanta Mounika’s real life personality and her on-screen role. The BTech graduate-turned actor plays Sravanthi, a naive, timid and gullible youngster. Off screen, Mounika is a vibrant and courageous person.
Self-taught actor
Ghanta Mounika
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement
With Sravanthi, the daily serial launched in December 2023 on Gemini Television, the young actor has already made a mark. “Sravanthi is a rich but innocent girl; she leads life without a mother and shares a special bond with her father. She is also gullible. Once I put on make-up, I become Sravanthi and talk, walk or express myself through eyes. I rehearse to bring out the subtle nuances of the character,” says Mounika. The self-taught actor considers Gangotri, her debut serial on ETV, to be an acting school.
Second season
A still from Sravanthi
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement
Produced by DY Chowdary and directed by KVS Reddy, Sravanthi, starring Nikhil Maliyakaal and Nandakishore Dhulipala, is in its second season. Its first season, aired a decade ago with Meena Vasu, Bharani Shankar and Nandakishore, had an enduring popularity. Besides working on the character portrayal, she admits, there is pressure to match up to the serial’s popularity.
Passionate dancer
Mounika completed B Tech from Marri Laxman Reddy Institute of Technology and Management in 2020 and worked in Tech Mahindra in Hyderabad. A passionate dancer, Mounika caught people’s attention during the pandemic with her dialogues and and over 80 peppy dancing Reels on Instagram. Her followers and admirers suggested she try her luck on television. “I casually auditioned for Gangotri and got selected for the lead role,” she recollects. Enjoying the acting experience, she considered this opportunity a stepping stone.” Two months into television, Mounika quit her job to concentrate on her small-screen career.
Enjoyable journey
Calling the two-year stint (2021 – 2023) with Gangotri an enjoyable journey, she says, “I got mostly negative lead offers after Gangotri, so I took a break for six months to see if a better role comes along. My wait was rewarded with Sravanthi, again a lead role in the serial.”
A still from Sravanthi
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement
About her acting lessons on sets, she says, “I am a very articulate person, but acting in a serial is different. I learnt how to face the camera, emote and tell dialogues. I also realised the role of light and sound in making a scene effective.”
Mounika hopes to take each day as it comes and make inroads in the entertainment industry steadily with her small and big screen roles. “I will do movies if good projects come along. For now, I am enjoying this phase with television.”
Sravanthi airs on Gemini TV , Monday-Saturday, 9 pm
