Meghana Gaonkar is love struck

After Tajmahal, director R Chandru was getting down to making an out and out romantic film and this bit of news naturally generated a lot of interest. From the story to the casting, Chandru had kept everyone guessing for a while. While we will have to wait for some more time to find out what the film is all about, Chandru recently announced Prem as the hero of the film. He has now cast Meghana Gaonkar as the leading lady, we hear. “The role is very performance oriented and Chandru after watching my act in my debut film Nam Areal Ondina was confident that I would fit the bill,” says Meghana confirming the news.

The film will see her character go through several changes, allowing her to push the limits as an actor, she says. “I have always wanted to do roles that challenge me as an actor. I want my performance and not make-up or clothes to be spoken about! This is exactly the reason why I chose to debut with a film like Nam Areal… even though I had several offers to star opposite big stars at that point.  I didn’t want to appear like just any other glam doll,” she adds.

But coming on board Charminar meant giving up on a gangster film that also offered her a meaty role. Is she disappointed? “That film also would have challenged me as an actor, but dates were clashing and I had to give it a miss,” regrets Meghana.  Does she regret having done Vinayaka Geleyara Balaga that was among her pet projects as well? “It ran for 50 days, but yes it did not generate the expected response. I don’t know what went wrong,” she says.  But not the one to be bogged down, Meghana is looking forward to doing quality cinema. “I want to work with film makers like Suri. His characters are real and he portrays them very well,” says Meghana.

And how real is her character in Charminar? “I am not allowed to disclose anything about the film. But the story is something that every one will easily relate to,” she says. What we have found out though is that the film is based on a true incident that occurred in the life of one of director Chandru’s friends. “Only the climax has been changed to make it appealing to audience,” sources add. The film will go on floors this month end.