EXCLUSIVE! Agnyathavasi: Pavana Gowda Reveals Why She Isolated Herself Before Climax Scene Shoot

Agnyathavasi OTT Release On ZEE5: I might not understand Kannada, Tamil or Malayalam well, but I love watching films in regional languages. I was bowled away by the impeccable performances and intriguing storyline in Agnyathavasi when I watched the film on ZEE5.

As Filmibeat interacted with Pavana Gowda, the lead star of the crime mystery drama, we spoke about different aspects related to the movie. From revealing why she isolated herself before the climax scene to sharing interesting BTS moments, the talented actress fondly opened up about her experience shooting for Agnyathavasi.

Here are excerpts from the interview.

1. Pavana, the character you played in Agnyathavasi had a layer in it. Can you share a specific moment on set where you discovered a new layer to her personality that wasn't initially on the page?

Pavana Gowda: Hi, to answer your first question, Pankaja's innocence is something we discovered during the process. When we first heard the story and started designing the character, she came across as very cold-blooded, someone who was determined to get what she wanted without thinking of anything else. Her super objective was clear, to achieve her goal at any cost.

She never really thought about the consequences. What if something went wrong? She could end up in a really bad place. But that never occurred to her. Her deep longing for love had been there for a very long time. In fact, Pankaja's story begins in the very first episode with her receiving a letter from her boyfriend Aruna. From that point, her journey is driven by her desire to reunite with him, no matter what.

That innocence, the single-minded pursuit of love, is what we discovered during the journey of creating and portraying her. And that really moved us. It's the core emotion of Pankaja. She blindly follows her love. She wants her love back at any cost. That surprising innocence became the hook for me as a performer, something I held on to very strongly while playing the character.

2. Can you recall any behind-the-scenes moment from Agnyathavasi where you had to push yourself or found unexpected support from the team to overcome it?

During the process of the film, there are two incidents I really want to recall. One is from after the first two schedules of the film. I was really unwell. They had planned a shoot, but I was too sick to even leave the house. They waited for me for almost three to four months. When I told them I wasn't well, they simply said, "Get back to us when you're ready to shoot." They kept checking in on how I was doing, if I was feeling better, and when

I might be able to return. But they never pressured me. They never asked for dates or pushed me to commit. They just waited for my confirmation that I was okay to come for the shoot.
That had never happened before with any other team. That's why I feel it's important to mention their professionalism. My makers were so understanding. They truly got what an artist needs. That sense of comfort is incredibly important for an actress to be able to
perform well, and they respect that space.

Another incident happened during the climax shoot- the scene in the police station, the confession scene. I had actually auditioned with that same scene. While auditioning, they gave me that sequence to perform, and they liked the way I had designed the monologue.

Later, they asked me to retain exactly what I had done in the audition for the final climax scene.
That was a bit stressful-to recreate the exact emotions at the exact moments. It added pressure because I had to remember everything and hit every beat perfectly. I became really conscious. I even isolated myself the entire day until the scene was shot.

The scene itself is intense. Pankaja is cold, driven, and even in that moment, she's not
revealing everything. She's holding back her pain, her emotions. You can see the redness in her eyes-not from glycerin, but because I was actually feeling it. I wasn't letting it all out, just holding everything in. That emotional suppression really started burning my eyes.

It was tough to stay in that moment, to hold on while performing, and even after the scene ended. Because in the climax, even then, Pankaja doesn't let anyone know what she's truly
thinking or why she did what she did. She never reveals it. She stays cold until the very end. That emotional layer of hers remains hidden.

Keeping that layer unrevealed was both interesting and challenging for me. Holding on to that point, keeping her essence intact-that was another powerful moment I remember vividly.

Agnyathavasi is available for streaming on ZEE5.