'We were comfortable with each other'

One can’t help but notice the sizzling chemistry between actors Meghana Raj and Prajwal Devaraj in the newly released ‘Bhujanga’. The actors have been given a complete makeover. While Meghana is seen sporting a retro look, Prajwal has played around with his costumes. The duo has left no stone unturned to slip into their respective characters quite fast.

Meghana says she not only found the script and her character extremely refreshing but also thoroughly enjoyed acting with childhood friend Prajwal. In an interview with Nina C George, the actor shares her experiences of working on ‘Bhujanga’.

What does ‘Bhujanga’ mean and who plays ‘Bhujanga’?
‘Bhujanga’ literally means the serpent around Lord Shiva’s neck and it is a very powerful sounding word in Kannada. Here, Bhujanga is played by Prajwal.

What made you accept the film?
The script is definitely not the run-of-the-mill kind. It’s a conventional film and by conventional, I mean a story that can be retold and still not lose its sheen. This is one of those films where the heroine has a definite role to play.  

What’s your character like?
I play the role of a girl who is responsible for initiating a positive change in Bhujanga. She detests violence and is the gullible kind who can easily be influenced. She is innocent and doesn’t know how to harm people, either by way of thought or action.

Prajwal and you are childhood friends. What took you so long to act together?
Yes, we are childhood friends but somehow, we never got down to acting together because things never fell in place. It was either the script or the dates that didn’t match. But I am glad that we have been able to work together now. This project is special because ‘Bhujanga’ is Prajwal’s 25th film.

Any interesting memories of your childhood with Prajwal...
I was always the loud one and Prajwal was the quiet one. There was really nothing that could shake him. We hardly spoke but we grew up to be good friends.  

What was your experience of working with Prajwal?
I bullied Prajwal so much on the sets that there was never a quiet moment between us. We would call each other by our nicknames. We didn’t have to make an extra effort to emote our characters because we were very comfortable with each other.