Actress Nabha Natesh is set to return to Kannada cinema with her next romance drama, ‘Chemistry’ opposite actor Dhruva Sarja. Marking her presence in the Sandalwood after almost since her last appearance in the 2017 film ‘Saheba’, the actress recently shared that she is looking forward to returning to her roots and acting in her mother tongue again. She also expressed her interest in venturing horror thriller roles in the future.
Nabha Natesh returns to Kannada cinema with ‘Chemistry’
During a conversation with Variety India, Nabha Natesh shared that she made her Kannada debut with ‘Vajrakaya’ and has always wanted to return to Kannada cinema and ‘Chemistry’ has finally given her that opportunity.
Nabha Natesh recalls her accident and career break
Nabha revealed that she suffered a major accident in 2021 after slipping on a concrete surface and fracturing her shoulder. The injury led her to take a break from acting for almost three years.“It has been nearly a decade. In 2021, I met with a major accident after slipping on a concrete surface and fracturing my shoulder. I took a sabbatical for almost three years, but I emerged stronger,” she added.The actress also spoke about growing up watching films by Kannada cinema legends such as Dr Rajkumar, Shankar Nag, Anant Nag, Ambareesh and Vishnuvardhan.She said, “After my Kannada debut, ‘Vajrakaya,’ my career took a different direction. I have always wanted to return to Kannada cinema and speak my mother tongue on screen. That is finally happening with ‘Chemistry,’ a love story with Dhruva Sarja. I am returning to the genre after my Telugu debut, ‘Nannu Dochukunduvate’ (2018). I get to explore a beautiful character that is also relevant to women today.”During the conversation, Nabha Natesh also revealed that female characters in Indian films are being written with greater depth than before when asked about the shift in the way female characters are written with films crossing the language barrier.“There are many films today that tell stories from a female perspective, and I think that is a positive shift in the industry. Earlier, women’s experiences were often portrayed through a one-dimensional lens. With new-age storytelling, we are beginning to explore the many facets of a woman and portray her with greater depth. I think that is an encouraging change,” she said.
Nabha Natesh wants to explore dark and vulnerable roles
Nabha Natesh also revealed that she would love to explore either horror or a role that allows her to portray someone emotionally fractured. Talking about the list of challenges she wants to take as an actor, she said, “There is a long list of characters and emotions I want to explore. I am a theater artist, and my training has taught me to inhabit different emotional spaces. I also watch films across genres, so there is a lot I want to experiment with. I would love to do something dark or play a vulnerable, emotionally broken character.I am manifesting that for my next film.”The ‘iSmart Shankar’ actress also expressed her admiration for the Marvel’s actress ‘Florence Pugh’. She said, “I loved her performances in ‘Midsommar’ and ‘A Good Person.’” and also spoke about watching Korean horror projects, as she said, “I also watched the Korean horror film ‘Exhuma’ and loved Kim Go-eun’s performance. I would love to explore either the horror genre or a role that allows me to portray someone emotionally fractured.”She was last seen in the rom-com drama, ‘Darling’ which released in 2024.
