Playing a sulking housewife was tough, says Geeth Saini

The actor speaks about her role Meenakshi in 'Pushpaka Vimanam', admiration for Telugu classics, and acting

Hyderabad: Meenakshi, the newly-married woman, gives some anxious moments to her husband Chittilanka Sundar in the upcoming comedy entertainer ‘Pushpaka Vimanam’. She runs away just a week after getting married to him. Newbie Geeth Saini plays the role of Meenakshi in the film. And what could be the reason behind her missing? “That’s the back story to be explored,” she laughs.

The Maharashtra-born actor is just a movie old before she got the chance to play the role of Meenakshi in ‘Pushpaka Vimanam’. Her tryst with acting happened with ‘Ala’ which wasn’t released in theatres, unfortunately. “My parents moved to Hyderabad a decade ago, and I did my degree in the city. It was in college that I started developing interest in acting,” says Geeth.

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“I learnt most of my Telugu by watching Telugu films, especially old films of K Vishwanath and Jandhyala. ‘Swarnakamalam’ is my all-time favourite. Actor Bhanupriya’s name is also Meenakshi in the movie. Incidentally, my friends in college started calling me Meenu as they would say the name suits my facial features. So, I consider landing the project ‘Pushpaka Vimanam’ a blessing,” she adds.

The actor says she had to do a lot of prep for playing the “sulking wife Meenakshi” in the movie. “The character demanded a certain mood. So, director Damodar instructed me to avoid any conversation with co-star Anand because it could affect the emotions portrayed on-screen unknowingly. So, ‘strictly no chit-chatting with Anand’, I was told. Probably, this helped me give better output,” she adds.

Geeth happened to learn the craft by observing senior actors like Naresh and Sunil on the sets. “Although I didn’t have any scenes with them, I used to come to the sets every day to observe them and their acting. It was a sense of happiness seeing everyone so closely. Meenakshi’s character has a different track altogether and the story has enough twists and elements of thrill to surprise audiences,” she says.