'My film is a tribute to women'

Although Pooja Gandhi’s first production ‘Abhinetri’ did run into a lot of trouble for all the wrong reasons, she clearly decided to go ahead and prove all the accusations of plagiarism levelled against her as false. The film is now slated to release on January 30 and Pooja has been on her toes doing everything she can to promote the film.

She was more than happy to step into the shoes of the character of yesteryear actress Kalpana. The storyline is inspired by the life and work of Kalpana. Pooja confesses that it did take sometime for her to understand the body language, way of communication and the styles of actresses those days but now looking back, she’s thrilled about the way the movie and her character has shaped up. “The costume, hairdo and makeup belong to the ‘60s and ‘70s.

We would start our day very early and be ready for the shoot only around 10 am. The hairdo was a painful affair and it was quite tough to carry off the heavy bun,” she explains.

She also concedes that it wasn’t easy to slip into the shoes of a popular actress. “I wonder how actresses those days managed with such elaborate hairdos and heavy costumes. It’s so much easier now because the emphasis is minimalist design and makeup,” she adds.

But Pooja didn’t take too long to connect with the character of Kalpana, “The director spent a lot of time researching and collecting data about the actress, her life and her work. This information was enough to inspire me and I must say that I’ve not just acted but literally lived and breathed the character. I don’t think, I would ever get to play such a role for a long time,” she observes. 

Pooja recollects that pulling off her first production was no easy task. “It was a struggle and that struggle taught me more than just production. It taught me to handle the toughest of situations with ease. Now, nothing seems impossible to me,” she states. Pooja prefers to dedicate her first production to all the women. “My film is a tribute to women. It’s a moving tale of an a beautiful but simple woman who worked her way to the top,” she says.

Pooja has already begun working on her second production in Kannada.