Jahnavi Dasetty was just another Kurnool girl living in a hostel, dreaming of doing something creative and not become just another engineer and doctor. Her sustained zest got her an admission in NIFT, Hyderabad and in due course, a short film stint. While acting in short films made by her common friends, she discovered she wanted to be an entertainer, regardless of the medium.
After earning the tag ‘short-film star’, she began making a comedy web series Mahathalli-Mahanubhavudu , the name thereby sticking to her image. The success of Mahathalli resulted in another series (co-presented by Wirally South) with an ‘AIB-like’ take on contemporary issues — a mix of fiction and reality, laced in a comic exterior.
“Ours is a conservative family; my parents were really angry with me for choosing this industry. Initially, there wasn’t much support. Over time, they saw my break-neck schedules, the hard work we put in to get each frame right. Now, they are happy with my progress,” the girl beams with enthusiasm as she talks. The motive behind her web-series is just to be herself and not ‘act’. Some of her episodes include IPL Mahanubhavulu , Actual Date vs. Honest Date and Ammalu, Vaalla Pelli Godavalu .
Initially, she used to come on the sets with the crux of the idea, sans a script and worked on it with the director spontaneously as the camera rolled on. “It was only with the growing responses that I began writing my lines and a structure started emerging,” Jahnavi reveals, citing the globally popular Superwoman series as an inspiration. She thanks this stint, especially for the command she’s got over Telugu.
The live-wire didn’t know that acting courses even existed for long, but now as she is shooting, she realises the finesse may help her in the long run. In the meanwhile, she thanks her short-film directors for bringing the best out of her.
The multi-faceted youngster was also a stylist for Thanu Nenu , the directorial debut of P. Rammohan (better known as Uyyala Jampala writer) With no plans to work in the television industry, she is being in the rare league of having Telugu channel and a series of her own. The next big thing she wants in life is a home in Hyderabad. “I am happy going with the flow and not trying too hard to enter films. As long as I bring smiles and entertain, I’ll be fine,” she signs off.
