Lasya Nagaraj and (below) stills from some of her upcoming films
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Lasya Nagaraj started her acting career with the mega series Padmavathi on Colors Kannada. A trained Bharatanatyam dancer, she has also been a part of reality shows like Dance Dance (2017), which led to her big screen debut in the Kannada film Asatoma Sadgamaya. This was followed by a lead role in Vijay Anand’s Krishna Talkies, Mangalvaara Raja Dina andVedha. Up next is Arun Kumar M’s Life is beautiful.
“I wanted to understand and study every aspect of filmmaking,” Lasya’s over a call from Toronto where she is studying film production at Yorkville University. On her return to India, Lasya has to complete a film about which she cannot share details. “I will then explore direction and production.”
Berlin bound
Lasya will be representing her university at 74th Berlin International Film Festival, which started on February 15 and will go on till February 25. “It was a creative challenge at the university. We were asked to share how we would promote the university. I was one of the four students out of 2000 selected to go to Berlin.”
Lasya says she is excited about the Berlinale. “While I go there as an ambassador of Yorkville University, I will also be representing South Indian cinema at the festival. I feel strongly about my roots.”
She will also be interviewing Vinothraj, whose Tamil film, Kottukkaali is having a sold out premiere at the Berlinale on February 16. “His debut film, Pebbles (2021), won many accolades including the Tiger Award at the 50th International Film Festival of Rotterdam. I will be speaking to him about his films and also to Anna Ben, who plays the protagonist, Meena in the film. Besides this, I will be sharing my perception of South Indian film practices and filmmaking.”
Lasya is looking forward to seeing the legendary director, Martin Scorsese receive his lifetime achievement award. “I am hoping I get to meet him and would like to connect with actors, especially women of colour, who have made it internationally.”
On the world stage
Always a film buff, Lasya says she watched many films growing up. “When I became an actor, I was hooked on to world cinema and was a regular at film festivals in India. That was when I felt cinema is more than just a medium of entertainment. I wanted to explore different cultures and practices.”
The film course, she is pursuing will only expand her horizons as an actor and a student of cinema, Lasya says. “I am here to understand what technology the West uses, how they create films and work on the sets. These are things I would like to adapt to my films.”
The actor says she is also looking at a collaboration between English and Kannada cinema. “World cinema, breaks the barriers of language and place. I am looking at doing something internationally as an actor and a producer, while being rooted to my culture and nativity.”
Lasya acted in a few short films in the beginning of her career and says that she is open to working in this medium. “I enjoy working in them as I see no difference in terms of the approach between the short and long form of cinema.”
The director has the challenge of telling something in a concise manner, Lasya says. “Sometimes they have to tell a story in five minutes. That, is the real test for a writer. The work process is the same for an actor, irrespective of the medium.”
