The simple yet pretty looking Ankita Maheshwari is anxiously waiting for the release of her debut film Anta Scene Ledhu that has Navdeep and Shashank play two of her heroes. The bilingual film,a suspense comedy directed by debutant Venkat, apparently revolves around three people.
Ask Ankita if she understands the meaning of the title and she replies, “The title is a common expression which implies that the matter is not of much significance. The title does have a connection to the story and is used umpteen times in the movie. Rehana Mehrotra, who plays a negative character, is cast opposite Shashank in a small love track around them. Nasser has an important role.” Chennai-born Ankita is a Marwari from Rajasthan who has been living in Mumbai for the past 14 years. She doesn’t remember anyone in the family being remotely connected to movies. Speaking of her break into the television and film world, she says, “My mom used to stay in Mumbai before getting married, she felt it was a better place to live after relocating from Chennai to Rajasthan. I was contacted on Facebook by a common friend and asked to give an audition for a serial on Colours TV. I did TV for one and a half year and did two shows. I was even in the Shaimak Davar dance troupe and participated in many stage shows. Right from the beginning I was never camera conscious and I enjoyed my work thoroughly.”
She was offered her debut Telugu movie, again on FB, after three years on television. She came to Hyderabad and was given a narration; everything worked out well for her after that. About Antha Scene Ledhu she says, “This was my first film and I took it as a learning experience. I found there was a lot of difference in the way a serial and a film gets shot. For a serial shoot we are given screenplay and we improvise a lot. We need to be a bit dramatic for television but for movies the work should be simple and subtle.”
Considering she is from Mumbai, why didn’t she choose Bollywood? Ankita’s parents advised her to kickstart her work in the south, citing many successful actors as example. They think that if one has the skill and is offered an opportunity, one should take it up immediately. She is all praise for Ramoji Film City and says it is one of the best places she has ever visited though she didn’t get to move around much in Hyderabad. “So many people in Mumbai told me that I must try chicken biryani and it is yummy. But I am a vegetarian and I did notice that even the food is spicy here.”
